West Africa:
High Vulnerability Persists During Political Transition
Among InterAction Members Responding*
Cote d’Ivoire
Action Against Hunger
Africare
Air Serv International
American Refugee Committee
Baptist World Aid
CARE
Helen Keller International
International Rescue Committee
Jesuit Refugee Service
Northwest Medical Teams
USA for UNHCR
US Fund for UNICEF
Guinea
Action Against Hunger
Africare
Air Serv International
American Refugee Committee
Brother’s Brother Foundation
Catholic Relief Services
Church World Service
Helen Keller International
International Rescue Committee
Jesuit Refugee Service
Save the Children
USA for UNHCR
US Fund for UNICEF
World Education
Liberia
Action Against Hunger
Air Serv International
Baptist World Aid
Brother’s Brother Foundation
Catholic Relief Services
Church World Service
Concern Worldwide
Direct Relief International
International Rescue Committee
Lutheran World Relief
Mercy Corps
United Methodist Committee on Relief
USA for UNHCR
US Fund for UNICEF
World Vision
Sierra Leone
Action Against Hunger
Adventist Development and Relief Agency
Air Serv International
American Refugee Committee
Baptist World Aid
Brother’s Brother Foundation
CARE
Catholic Relief Services
Christian Children’s Fund
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
Church World Service
Concern Worldwide
Helen Keller International
International Medical Corps
International Rescue Committee
Trickle Up Program
United Methodist Committee on Relief
USA for UNHCR
World Rehabilitation Fund
World Relief
World Vision
*Note: This list may not include all InterAction members working in this country/region. If your organization is working in this area and is not included in this list, please email Linda Poteat. |
West Africa has been and, unfortunately, continues to be, home to a number of humanitarian emergencies caused by a series of intertwined civil wars and cycles of displacement. This profile briefly discusses four: Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
The civil wars that embroiled Sierra Leone and Liberia for most of the 1990s ended in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Both countries have experienced high levels of internal displacement and refugees, the latter affecting the neighboring countries of Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire. In 2002, civil war erupted in Cote d’Ivoire, splitting the country in two. The political and military situation there has since stabilized somewhat, but remains highly precarious. Over a quarter of a million people became displaced when conflict erupted in Guinea in 2000-2001, and persistent rumors around the “forever imminent” death of Guinea’s President, Lansana Conté, also stoke regional instability.
Population movements reflect the changing patterns of instability in the region. In 2002, when the 11-year civil war in Sierra Leone ended, an estimated two million people were either internally displaced (IDPs) or refugees. In 2003, when Charles Taylor, the former Liberian President and warlord, left Liberia, out of a total population of three million people, 500,000 were internally displaced. Another 350,000 were refugees, mostly in neighboring Guinea, with a few in Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. It is a measure of the progress of the Liberian and Sierra Leonean transitions that there are no more IDPs within or from Sierra Leone, the number of Sierra Leonean refugees has dropped to under 41,000 and the number of Liberian refugees has shrunk to under 250,000, with very few IDPs left as well. However, in both countries the displaced are returning to extremely underdeveloped areas with difficult conditions for the returnees. In contrast, displacement in Cote d’Ivoire is rising and now exceeds 1.2 million IDPs and over 15,000 refugees in neighboring countries, the latter figure being most probably underestimated.
Liberia was once the locus of population movement in the area, with the conflict forcing much of the population to flee their homes to surrounding counties and countries, sometimes several times over. Most displaced persons, whether IDPs or refugees, came from three northwestern counties: Lofa, Bong and Nimba, which were among the most difficult to access throughout the war. The underserving of these populations compounded the negative effects of the serious underdevelopment in the area that predated the war. For example, it is estimated that by 2003, virtually all of Lofa’s population lacked access to the 15 liters per person per day considered the minimal standard in emergencies. While returnees were given kits, nothing could replace dilapidated water infrastructure.
The predictions for the four countries have changed drastically: Cote d’Ivoire, once the engine of growth of the area, now has a de facto partition, with its future viability in question, while Liberia and Sierra Leone are now headed towards a more hopeful path. Guinea remains the odd man out, although two week-long, country-wide general strikes since February 2006 have not assuaged fears of a potential unraveling.
Cote d’Ivoire is widely seen as the ticking time bomb of the region. A fragile ceasefire exists, guarded by a UN force in country still divided between rebel and government control. The international community pressed the warring parties to accept a one-year extension to the term of the country’s controversial president, Laurent Gbagbo. The extension is due to end in October, when national presidential elections are to be held. However, the elections will almost certainly be delayed, if only because voter registration has not yet begun. A full-fledged conflict would be disastrous for the region, with its potential for population displacement, and destabilization of its frail neighbors. Contingency plans already in place are being updated. (Current projections estimate over 150,000 refugees could flee to Liberia and Guinea and any IDPs would add to the existing IDP population of 700,000).) However, these plans are at least partially contingent on the shaky, current stability in Guinea.
The political developments in Sierra Leone and Liberia, perhaps best encapsulated by the referral of Taylor to the special war crimes court for Sierra Leone, and the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as Liberia’s president (the first democratically elected woman head of state in Africa), are obviously very positive. By all accounts, the transitions in both countries have proceeded well. This should not obscure, however, the persisting vulnerability of populations that is a legacy of a decade of conflict, underdevelopment and regional displacement.
Several features of the transition in Liberia and Sierra Leone remain of concern. In several respects, Sierra Leone is no longer a humanitarian emergency and the focus has rightly shifted back to development programs. This is reflected in donor practices that have moved from direct support to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) towards bilateral arrangements, aiming at supporting the incipient government, and with a focus on service delivery. Echoing this shift, relief organizations are leaving the country, yet no substitute for relief organization-based assistance has been put in place in several areas.
In Liberia is in the earlier stages of a similar trend. This is of particular concern in a country where half the population is in Monrovia, the capital, where unemployment is estimated at about 80 percent. It is important to note that humanitarian issues in Liberia have been under the purview of the UN peacekeeping mission for the last year, and not the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as is usually the case. This has led to concern that the transition would be driven by political agendas that, although legitimate, do not necessarily support sustainability or a needs-based approach to target the most vulnerable.
Guinea has hosted nearly one millions refugees from the wars in the region over the past 10 years, in addition to IDPs following an internal rebel attack in 2000-2001. This has taken a considerable toll on the host population, and today Guinea’s social indicators have become similar to those of countries emerging from a prolonged war. The political situation in Guinea remains volatile, most particularly in the region bordered by Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire.
In conclusion, the West Africa region has made significant progress in political and humanitarian terms, progress ushered in by the end to the wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone. However, this progress must not hide the prevailing vulnerability of the populations in the area. Still vulnerable to basic diseases, hunger, and water scarcity, people can hardly be said to have reached self-sufficiency and dignity. Initial progress in the political transitions has offered some long-term hope but short-term gaps could increase these vulnerabilities. The underlying causes of conflict in the region – poverty, lack of economic opportunity, inequitable distribution of resources, poor governance and porous borders - remain a reality and these gaps must be addressed. The region begs not only for attention and support, but also for maintained service delivery capacity in the medium term. Failing that, humanitarian consequences could be very grave - even in the absence of renewed warfare.
Profile (COTE D’IVOIRE)
Country: Cote d’Ivoire
Region: West Africa
Time frame: 2002-Current
Total Population: 17,872,000
Source:UNICEF
Population Impacted (IDPs): 700,000
Source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC)
Population Impacted (Refugees): 18,303
Source: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Crude death rate (per 1,000 population): 17
Source: UNICEF
Life Expectancy at Birth: 46
Source: UNICEF
Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 194
Source: UNICEF
Profile (GUINEA)
Country: Guinea
Region: West Africa
Time frame: 2000-2001
Total Population: 9,202,000
Source: UNICEF
Population Impacted (IDPs): 82,000 (as of 2002)
Source: IDMC
Population Impacted (Refugees): 5,820
Source: UNHCR
Crude death rate (per 1,000 population): 14
Source: UNICEF
Life Expectancy at Birth: 54
Source: UNICEF
Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 155
Source:UNICEF
Profile (LIBERIA)
Country: Liberia
Region: West Africa
Time frame: 1989-2003
Total Population: 3,241,000
Source: UNICEF
Population Impacted (IDPs): 15,000
Source: IDMC
Population Impacted (Refugees): 231,114
Source: UNHCR
Crude death rate (per 1,000 population): 21
Source: UNICEF
Life Expectancy at Birth: 42
Source: UNICEF
Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 235
Source: UNICEF
Profile (SIERRA LEONE)
Country: Sierra Leone
Region: West Africa
Time frame:1991-2002
Total Population: 5,336,000
Source: UNICEF
Population Impacted (IDPs): N/A (but believed to be at or close to zero)
Source: IDMC
Population Impacted (Refugees): 40,447
Source: UNHCR
Crude death rate (per 1,000 population): 23
Source: UNICEF
Life Expectancy at Birth: 41
Source: UNICEF
Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 283
Source: UNICEF
Additional Resources
Action Against Hunger’s French section, with links to programs in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire
Action Against Hunger’s Spanish section, with links to programs in Guinea
Doctors without Borders (MSF) international website, with links to all other sections
International Crisis Group website with reports covering political as well as humanitarian aspects of the situations in all four countries
The United Nations humanitarian gateway for Liberia
InterAction’s West Africa Member Activity Report
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