Needs and responses

Refugees in exile

The lack of peace and security in Liberia has contributed to the protracted Liberian refugee situations in Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Ghana, as well as in Sierra Leone and Nigeria where Liberian refugee numbers are fewer. Unfortunately, throughout the 1990s donors became increasingly unwilling to fund programmes for Liberian refugees, and the crisis in Sierra Leone diverted donor priorities. As a result, UNHCR has been unable to fund assistance to the approximately 215,000 Liberian refugees who remained in exile at the end of 2001 (USCR).

Unable to return home and no longer assisted by UNHCR, many Liberian refugees in exile in West Africa are caught in a state of limbo. Having re-established themselves in exile for many years, they are typically no longer in need of emergency relief, but they struggle to find a viable livelihood, to find adequate medical care and to educate their children. UNHCR assistance, which took on the form of 'care and maintenance' programmes throughout the 1990s, appears to have done little to address the evolving needs of refugees. Funding for development is greatly needed, but donors are generally not interested in supporting development programmes for Liberian refugees in protracted situations. And while local integration was a possibility for Liberians, particularly in Côte d'Ivoire and in Guinea where Liberians have ethnic links, the ongoing turmoil in the region has increasingly made Liberian refugees unwanted guests.

Guinea

Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugees were assisted in over 60 formal camps as well as in surrounding villages along the Sierra Leone-Guinea border as of 2001. Many of the Liberians had first found refuge in Sierra Leone, but fled with the Sierra Leoneans to Guinea when conflict began in their country.

In 2000, UNHCR phased out assistance to the 90,000 Liberian refugees remaining in Guinea, expecting them to be self-sufficient. Relations between refugees and their hosts have been generally good, allowing refugees to survive through employment on local Guinean farms and through petty trade. However, the degree to which old caseload refugees can be self-reliant is constrained by limited access to land, lack or late arrival of seeds, low wages for daily labour due to a labour surplus, limitations on freedom of movement due to lack of ID cards, and the absence of employment opportunities for the educated (Kaiser 2001). In addition, the withdrawal of UNHCR assistance has meant that food security is a big problem for refugees, as is medical care.

UNHCR still maintains a presence in Guinea, offering assistance to new arrivals from Lofa County, Liberia. However, the souring of relations between the Liberian and Guinean governments, with each accusing the other of supporting rebel groups bent on toppling their respective regimes, has led to the closing of the Liberia-Guinea border at various times, first by Liberia and then by Guinea. Liberians wishing to flee to Guinea for safety have been diverted to Sierra Leone and other places as a result.

Côte d'Ivoire

An estimated 100,000 Liberians were living among the local populations, not in camps, in Côte d'Ivoire as of 2001. The government's liberal refugee policy and the fact that many Liberians had kinship relations with the local Ivorian populations made it easier for them to settle there and to engage in trade and business. Prospects for local integration were very good, but it appears that important and needed development opportunities were lost because UNHCR carried on with care and maintenance programmes too long. A controversial UNHCR effort to incorporate English-speaking Liberian children into French-speaking Ivorian schools also backfired and was discontinued as a result.

However, Côte d'Ivoire began experiencing troubles of its own beginning in 2000. Believing that Liberian fighters are assisting the rebel-opposition in Côte d'Ivoire, the Ivorian government is no longer so welcoming to Liberian refugees. With this growing antagonism, Liberian refugees in Côte d'Ivoire are caught in a no-win situation since many of them have links to the Krahn and Mandingo and would likely be targeted by Taylor's government forces if they returned home. Nonetheless, an estimated 43,000 Liberians have decided to take the risk of returning home while an additional 40,000 remain in Côte d'Ivoire in grave danger (Amnesty International 2003). By February 2003, it was reported that 88,000 Liberian returnees and Ivorian refugees had entered Liberia to escape the conflict in Côte d'Ivoire (UNHCR 2003).

Ghana

In 2000, UNHCR assistance to 9,000 Liberian refugees remaining in Buduburam camp, near Accra, Ghana, was also withdrawn. Refugees enjoy complete freedom of movement with easy access to transport into Accra, making it possible for them to engage in wage labour, small businesses and petty trade to support themselves without UNHCR assistance. Those who have friends and relatives in the United States often have the advantage of receiving remittances sent via Western Union money transfers. As a result of these advantages, the camp has developed into a town with electricity, stores, nightclubs, a market, and over fifty churches. However, many Liberian refugees still struggle to make ends meet in a host environment with high levels of unemployment and inflation. Refugee churches and community-based organisations have rallied to try to meet the needs of the most vulnerable, but the needs are typically greater than the resources available.

Matters for Liberian refugees in Ghana are further complicated by the fact that the host government conducted a screening exercise in 2001 to reassess the claims of Liberian refugees who had been granted refugee status on a prima facie basis. Only 3,449 of 9,000 interviewed were granted refugee status, but those denied refugee status have continued to remain in Ghana as de facto refugees.

Liberians in Ghana are not eager to return home given the reports of continued violence. In addition, a resettlement programme to the United States acts as a draw for many Liberians who feel that there is no other viable alternative for them ( see section on the United States and Canada ).

United States and Canada

Large numbers of Liberians have made their way to the United States, and to a lesser extent Canada, since the beginning of the war. The US resettlement programme is based on five processing priorities, with Priority 1 cases being persons at risk or those with no long-term solution who are identified by the US embassy or referred by UNHCR. Priority 2 cases are groups of special concern to the US embassy, and Priority 3 to 5 cases are for family reunification. Each year the US Congress sets a ceiling for the number of refugees to be admitted. In 1992, 1993, and 1994, the number of Liberian refugees resettled to the US was 637, 961, and 610 respectively. In 1995, only fifty-two Priority 1 cases were admitted, and the family reunification option was effectively shut down, largely because of concerns of fraud.

Many Liberian refugees are desperate for the opportunity to resettle in the USA and will go to great lengths to try to meet the necessary criteria. Many have legitimate claims, but concerns have also been raised that some claims are fraudulent. Family meetings to verify information before resettlement interviews, the purchase of spaces on the affidavit of relationship, and fabrication of stories are all strategies that have been used to get on the resettlement programme ( Dick 2001 ).

In spite of these problems, it was recognised that the family reunification resettlement program is an important and legitimate, durable solution for many; thus it was reopened, with the number of Liberians admitted rising as high as 2,613 in 2000. According to USCR, a total of 9,143 Liberian refugees have been admitted to the USA from 1987 to 2000. Also potentially adding to future higher numbers is the USA's decision to open a resettlement processing office in Accra in 2001 in order to facilitate a more efficient process. Until 2001, all resettlement cases were processed out of Nairobi by the Joint Voluntary Association (JVA) in a cumbersome process that required circuit riders to travel out to West Africa to process claims. However, in the aftermath of 11 September 2001, the number of refugees being resettled to the USA significantly reduced, but the resettlement programme continues.

Before the war, it was primarily the Americo-Liberians and Liberia's wealthier citizens that were able to travel to the USA, and many Liberian leaders including Charles Taylor have spent significant periods of time in the USA. The resettlement programme has contributed to the growth of networks between Liberians in the USA and those in exile in West Africa, and refugees who remain behind look to their USA-based counterparts to send remittances, an important coping strategy.

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Civil society

Ordinary Liberians are exhausted from years of war, and they long for peace, but Taylor has persistently used strong-arm tactics to silence opposition voices that are not backed with a gun. Journalists, human rights defenders, and lawyers have been detained without sufficient cause. This pervading atmosphere of intimidation and fear has severely crippled the potential positive impact of Liberia's civil society.

Recognising that external actors are limited in their ability to bring sustainable peace to Liberia, efforts are being made to support and strengthen Liberian civil society and to encourage an atmosphere in which information can be made more accessible to the public through the media. In 2002, representatives of Liberia's media, civic organisations, traditional and academic communities, and religious institutions met together to draft the Monrovia Declaration, which calls for civil society to work against conflict-prone situations that could undermine the attainment of sustainable peace. Adding financial strength to these efforts, USAID is funding programmes that involve civil society in voters' education and election monitoring, in an effort to encourage the democratic process in Liberia's upcoming elections. Community groups involved in formal and non-formal education, civic education, human rights and the rule of law are also being supported.

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Government assistance to IDPs

In an effort to meet the needs of IDPs and returning refugees, Taylor set up the Liberian Refugee, Resettlement, and Repatriation Commission (LRRRC). Relying on international funds from the International Red Cross, the British Red Cross, the Swedish aid agency, SIDA, and the Liberia Refugee, Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC) was able to relocate over 126,000 IDPs since 1998.

The LRRRC has full responsibility for assisting IDPs, and oversees camp management and co-ordination of relief. However, LRRRC's capacity to adequately do this job has been called into question. Aid agencies are concerned that the organisation is not equipped with the funds and technical and logistical expertise needed to fulfil its mandate. Humanitarian agencies have expressed concern that IDP camps are not adequately equipped with safe drinking water and proper sanitation. As a result, dysentery and cholera outbreaks have been a problem (IRC 2002). In addition, the government has failed to provide adequate protection for refugees and IDPs in camps. Recognising the urgency of the situation, the OCHA-IDP Unit recommended that an IDP protection expert be deployed immediately to assist the Humanitarian Co-ordinator in setting out common protection standards and indicators to guide the implementation of assistance in the various programmatic sectors (OCHA April 2002).

In an effort to more effectively meet the needs of IDPs, Taylor formed the National Humanitarian Task Force in March 2002. The Task Force, headed by his wife, reportedly distributed 125 metric tons of rice plus 9,700 packages of assorted clothes to 34,000 IDPs in four camps around Monrovia (OCHA Feb-Mar 2002). However, given the extent of the needs, much more assistance is required.

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Peace process

The possibilities for a regional solution to recent fighting in Liberia were promising in early 2002 after the presidents of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea met in Morocco to discuss cross-border security. However, not long after, all progress seemed to evaporate when Liberia accused Guinea of assisting rebels and Liberia rejected the ECOWAS cease-fire proposal. It appears almost impossible to get all relevant parties to the same negotiating table. Peace talks in Burkina Faso included rebel leaders and civil organisations, but the government was absent; and rebel leaders were notably absent from a government-sponsored conflict resolution conference in Monrovia. ECOWAS is still hopeful that it can broker a peaceable solution to the problem before conflict escalates, but Taylor has remained uncooperative and isolated.

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International assistance

While the international community has rallied to assist Liberia's IDPs and to help the country begin to rebuild infrastructure, disillusionment with Taylor's corrupt government has led to a decline in overall from about $138 million in 1998 to about $30 million in 2001. The EU and USAID have been the primary funders of health, nutrition, and education programs, the EU giving $24 million in July 2001 and the US government giving $6.5 million in 2002. A programme funded by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization has assisted war-affected farmers, and WHO has programmes to address the reproductive health, disease control, and drug and medical supply needs of IDPs.

In 2002, UNHCR assisted thousands of IDPs who came from areas of renewed violence in northern Liberia to four camps in the Monrovia area that were originally intended for Sierra Leonean refugees. The International Red Cross and UNICEF have also responded to the needs of the newly displaced, distributing needed emergency supplies to them. UNICEF also oversees child protection programmes and the emergency education needs of 30,000 displaced children. WFP had been assisting 45,000 IDPs along with 24,500 Sierra Leonean refugees in January 2002, but with the spread of fighting between government and rebel forces, numbers of IDPs in need of food aid jumped to 126,000 by August 2002.

Most of the organisations that were a part of assistance efforts during Liberia's war have stayed on to assist IDPs and to assist with post-war reconstruction. However, as conflict heats up again, these organisations are revising their programs in order to meet the needs of the newly displaced for shelter, water, and sanitation; non-food items; medical care; and counselling.

NGOs working in Liberia:

Action Aid http://www.actionaid.org/

Action by Churches Together (ACT) http://act-intl.org/

Action Contre la Faim (ACF) http://www.acf-fr.org/

Catholic Relief Services http://www.catholicrelief.org/index.cfm

Concerned Christian Council http://www.act-intl.org

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies http://www.ifrc.org/

International Rescue Committee http://www.theirc.org/Liberia/

Liberian Red Cross http://www.ifrc.org/publicat/partner/lrprofil.asp

Lutheran World Federation http://www.lutheranworld.org

Medecins Sans Frontieres http://www.msf.org

Oxfam http://www.oxfam.org.uk/atwork/where/africa/liberia.htm

Save the Children Fund http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/

Search for Common Ground http://www.sfcg.org/

United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) http://www.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/

World Vision http://www.worldvision.org

Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) http://www.ymca.net/yworld/Liberia.htm

UN organisations working in Liberia:

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) http://www.fao.org/

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) http://www.undp.org/

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) http://www.unhcr.org/

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) http://www.unicef.org/

World Food Programme (WFP) http://www.wfp.org/

World Health Organization (WHO) http://www.who.org/

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