Humanitarian crisis

In the Liberian refugee camp of Solo-Town, small children play between rows and rows of white tents, and a long line snakes out from the food pickup area. It's a portrait of daily life at a camp close to the Ivory Coast border, where some 1,600 people have taken refuge from the bloody violence in their homeland.

At the beginning of the year there were some 25,000 Ivorian refugees in Liberia. Now - despite the fact that the problems leading to the flood of refugees over the Liberian border are largely resolved - that number is estimated at 180,000. For Liberia, which is still fragile after having wrapped up its own civil war eight years ago, it is a potentially dangerous situation.

Wave of refugees

The problems in Ivory Coast began in November, when Alassane Outtara officially won a presidential election. Laurent Gbagbo, the defeated ex-president, refused to give up his office; indeed, backed by loyal armed forces, he fought to retain power. Months of bloody strife ensued.

The fighting triggered a wave of refugees who fled to Liberian refugee camps. One of them is Herbert Dio, a farmer who came to the Solo Town camp with his wife and four children. Like most of the people in Solo-Town, Dio came from an area of the Ivory Coast that is just across the border. He claims not to care about politics - he says he doesn't even care whether Gbagbo or Ouattara leads the country - but he wanted to get away from the pervasive violence.

"We fled the fighting. It was horrible. You didn't know what could happen," he said. "Maybe, some morning, someone would jump you and kill you."

Concerned about revenge

The hotly contested leadership struggle in Ivory Coast finally ended in April. And just last weekend, the internationally recognized election victor, Ouattara, took office amid pomp and ceremony. But while the leadership crisis in Ivory Coast is officially over, refugees continue to flood over the border into Liberia.

Between 200 and 400 people continue to arrive in Liberia daily, aid group Oxfam said. Many of the recent refugees are those who supported ex-President Gbagbo. Not surprisingly, they are worried about acts of revenge.

"We come from Blolequin," said one woman who did not want to be named. "The whole city burned down. We can't return."

Another man, who also refused to be named, said: "I come from Toulepleu. They killed my mother, and my father is somewhere in the bush. I only have my little brother, my wife and children with me here."

Help from the Liberians

Today, more than 180,000 Ivorian refugees live in eastern Liberia, but fewer than half of them live in refugee camps. Most were taken in by Liberian families. That was the case for Herbert Dio. With his wife and his four children, he initially stayed with a six-person family - together with 14 other refugees.

"There were really too, too many of us. The house was so full that some people had to sleep outside. So it was better for us to come to this refugee camp. We have more space," said Dio.

Ibrahima Coly works with the UN Refugee Agency in Liberia. She points out that despite the flood of refugees, Liberians have nonetheless been gracious and welcoming. They see it as giving back the help they received during the eight years of civil war that racked their own country.

Crisis is 'far from over'

"For years during their civil war, it was the Liberians who got help from the Ivory Coast. So they feel obligated to return the favor," Coly said. "Moreover, there are strong ethnic ties on both sides of the border."

Still, the flood of refugees is a challenge for the small country of Liberia, especially the southeastern region. The streets there are in bad condition, there is a lack of schools, and barely enough food to eat. The German government recently granted Liberia 5 million euros ($7 million) in additional aid.

In a statement made on Monday, Oxfam complained that the amount of assistance coming in from foreign donors was insufficient to alleviate the suffering in the region. UN appeals for Liberia remain just 42-percent funded, the group says, and more than $80 million is still needed.

"The crisis is far from over," said Oxfam’s Regional Humanitarian Coordinator, Philippe Conraud. "There is an urgent need to improve the conditions of displaced people in Liberia and Ivory Coast, and to support those returning home to rebuild their lives."

Food, fighters

Food is a particular concern. In Liberia, the majority of refugees continue to live with host communities, and scarce resources are running low. Oxfam assessments show that many families have been eating only once per day and others are forced to eat the seeds they will need for their next harvest.

There is another problem as well: It's not only refugees who are crossing Liberia's green borders. Ex-civil war fighters from Liberia are returning, as are mercenaries who took sides in the recent crisis in the Ivory Coast. In turn, UNMIL, the UN's mission in Liberia, has boosted its border controls.

People are working hard to disarm the fighters, according to Ellen Margrethe Loj, the head of UNMIL.

"It is illegal to bring arms into Liberia," Loj said. "Whoever does bring them, has them taken away."

Author: Dirke Köpp (jen)
Editor: Rob Mudge