In Liberia, Chad close to 450,000 forgotten refugees remain stranded

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NEW YORK (June 20, 2011)— Their story never really made the headlines and was effectively forgotten with the eruption of the Arab Spring and the conflict in Libya—but the plight of refugees from Ivory Coast in Liberia is grave.  Concern Worldwide, the international humanitarian organization, responded last winter when families fleeing the post-election violence in Ivory Coast began pouring into Liberia by the thousands on a daily basis.  To mark the 2011 World Refugee Day, Concern calls particular attention to the 100,000 Ivory Coast refugees who fled to Liberia and are now living in temporary sites; and to the plight of 81,000 refugees who have fled into Chad driven out by conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR). Their exodus began in 2003 and barely registered any coverage at all. Conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan has driven close to 270,000 Sudanese refugees into Chad—and the imminent secession of South Sudan might trigger another exodus.   “The international aid community calls it ‘the silent emergency,’” said Paul O’Brien, Executive Overseas Director of Concern Worldwide, speaking of the situation in Liberia. “Especially since a measure of calm has returned to Ivory Coast, the world is simply looking the other way,” he said. World Refugee Day focuses global attention on the most marginalized of populations—those who have been driven from their homes by violence and disaster and are forced to depend on host countries and humanitarian assistance for shelter, food, and basic survival. There are more than 11.5 million refugees around the world, and some 26 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who have been uprooted by conflict. Concern works with IDPs in Chad, Sudan, Somalia, the Republic of Congo, and Pakistan. The refugee crisis in Liberia was triggered by a protracted and violent struggle as the former leader of Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, refused to step down to make way for duly elected Allassane Ouattara. In Ivory Coast tensions remain high and the bulk of the refugees are afraid to return.  Concern Liberia is assisting thousands of refugees as well as host communities in Grand Geddeh County, in and around Ziah Town, some 50 miles west of the border with Ivory Coast. The refugees receive emergency assistance—food, shelter, water and sanitary service. Local families are given seeds and farming tools to boost agricultural production so that both they and the refugees can have enough to eat, with surplus crops sold in the market place to build up community resources.  Concern also operates ongoing development programs in education, livelihoods and health in rural parts of Grand Bassa County and in the country’s capital city of Monrovia. One of the key challenges is to provide some form of education to Ivorian refugee children who have been out of school for months.  Education is critical to restore a sense of routine and normalcy for children, many of whom have been severely traumatized by their families’ displacement. In Chad—coming to the aid of refugees as well as the country’s estimated 80,000-plus IDPs, driven from their homes by the country’s internal conflicts—Concern is active in both the Gore region in the south, bordering on CAR, and Goz Beida, in the east, which borders Sudan. Water is extremely scarce and poor infrastructure makes the transportation of vital goods extremely difficult. A critical aspect of the work of Concern is support for host communities. “The needs are huge! It is our responsibility and that of the international community to do everything possible to ensure that these people are not forgotten,” said O’Brien.  For more information, or to speak with Paul O’Brien, please contact: Joop Koopman Office +1 212 557 8000 - Mobile +1 917 608 1989 Joop.koopman@concern.net http://twitter.com/concern