International Organization for Migration (Geneva)
16 October 2007
press release
New funding from the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is providing additional return and reintegration assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) who wish to return to and resettling in the former areas of residence in Western Cote d'Ivoire.
The USD 200,000 has so far helped an additional 266 IDPs leave the IOM-run Centre for Assistance to Temporary Displaced Persons (CATD) in Guiglo for 3 villages and surrounding settlements in the canton of Goum-Blao.
"Many more displaced persons now want to return to their former homes in Western Cote d'Ivoire," says Jacques Seurt, IOM's Chief of Mission in Cote d'Ivoire. "This new funding comes at a critical time as it will help an additional 3,500 returning IDPs and strengthen IOM's on-going peace consolidation activities."
The returnees, mostly West African migrant workers who had fled ethnic strife in 2002 and 2003, were met upon arrival by local partners and traditional elders who took an active part in promoting grassroots reconciliation between host communities and displaced migrant workers.
Returning famines and vulnerable families in the host community received food and non food items such as tarpaulins, blankets and kitchen kits, which had been pre-positioned ahead of time by IOM. Additional food assistance, seeds and tools will be distributed by WFP and FAO.
IOM's programme is based on comprehensive efforts to promote reconciliation between communities of displaced West African migrant workers and host communities.
As part of on-going reconciliation efforts, IOM teams regularly travel to remote villages in Western Cote d'Ivoire to promote reconciliation at a local level. Meetings, carried out in coordination with local authorities, humanitarian agencies and partner NGOs, bring together members of displaced communities and village elders to discuss issues surrounding the return to the land for displaced migrant workers. The gatherings are usually followed by ceremonies of reconciliation in villages, where local communities have expressed concerns regarding the return of the displaced.
IOM activities are funded by OFDA, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO), the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and by Norway.
IOM needs an additional USD 1,6 million to expand its peace consolidation, return and community rehabilitation programmes for 2007/2008.
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