As the number of people fleeing violence in Côte d’Ivoire escalates, the IFRC has revised its international appeal and is seeking nearly 4 million Swiss francs (4.3 million US dollars/3.1 million euros) to support those in need of shelter, food and clean water.
More than 100,000 Ivorians have fled into Liberia alone, with some communities of just a few thousand people, now trying to cope with up to 30,000 people. Ivorian refugees have also arrived in neighbouring Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana, and are now reaching countries such as Benin, Togo and Nigeria.
“The host communities have generously welcomed their Ivorian neighbours into their villages and homes. But the numbers are now so great that water and sanitation facilities are being put under such strain that without assistance we could see an outbreak of disease,” said Momodou Lamin Fye, the IFRC’s regional representative for the Sahel.
The IFRC, working with the Liberian Red Cross, has already set up a water treatment plant at the border village of Buutuo, providing 75,000 litres of clean water each day. In other villages, wells have been repaired and latrines dug to prevent an outbreak of cholera or other waterborne diseases. Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers are currently being trained in disease control methods, in addition to being given mosquito nets and rehydration salts for distribution where necessary. The IFRC continues to support the Liberian Red Cross to promote good hygiene practices in host communities in Nimba County.
In Liberia, the IFRC operation will provide 50,000 refugees and host communities with essential items such as blankets, sleeping mats, buckets, soap, cooking utensils and shelter materials. In Côte d’Ivoire, where up to 1 million people have been displaced, people will also receive relief items and emergency shelter kits.
With many refugees preferring to stay close to the border of their home country, the food stocks of many Liberian border villages have been depleted, leading to a potential food emergency.
“We need to provide seeds and tools to the host communities and avert a crisis,” says Rene de Vries, operations coordinator for the IFRC in Liberia. “It’s important we get increased funding for this appeal to allow us to do so. We hope that with attention rightly focused on the humanitarian needs in Japan and North Africa, donors will also remember this ongoing emergency.”
With no signs of the post-election crisis being resolved soon and increasing violence spreading across the country, the Red Cross is gearing up to respond to increased numbers of refugees in Côte d’Ivoire’s neighbouring countries.
For further information and to set up interviews, please contact:
In Dakar:
Moustapha Diallo, communications officer, West Africa, Tel. +221 774 501 004, moustapha.diallo@ifrc.org
In Liberia:
Faye Callaghan, communications manager, Africa, Tel. +27 71 895 2774 faye.callaghan@ifrc.org
In Nigeria:
Ademola Alao, communications officer, Africa, West coast, Tel. +234 706 402 2674, ademola.alao@ifrc.org
In Geneva:
Sadia Kaenzig, Senior adviser, external and public communications, Tel. +41 79 217 3386, sadia.kaenzig@ifrc.org