Over the course of 13 years of civil war, approxiamtely 340,000 Liberians fled their country seeking refuge in other West African nations. Among those who fled are some 4,000 Liberians who live in a refugee camp in Oru, Nigeria operated by the Nigerian Commission for Refugees in conjunction with the Nigerian Red Cross and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). The experiences of the Liberians - who share the camp with Sierra Leoneans, Rwandans, and Sudanese - vary. While some arrived as the Liberian civil war climaxed in mid-2003, others have been living in Oru for over 10 years.

The elderly Liberian pictured on the right has fled to the Oru refugee camp twice. Originally he left Liberia in the early nineties, but returned during a period of peace following elections in 1997. He was forced to flee again during heavy fighting in the capital Monrovia in the summer of 2003, in which he lost several family members. He has decided not to attempt repatriation a second time, and is waiting for the opportunity to settle in another country. Here he stands in the doorway of his home in Oru, a single room he shares with six people.

The following photos were taken on October 28, 2004. Some of those pictured have since been repatriated to Liberia by UNHCR.