Country Report Cote d'Ivoire May 2011

The political scene: Aid agencies launch major relief operation

The capture of Mr Gbagbo has been followed by the stepping up of international relief efforts. According to the International Organisation for Migration, over 2m Ivorians have been displaced by the violence. This includes over 1m in Abidjan, 800,000 in the western region and around 200,000 migrant workers from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea and Mali. There are an estimated 150,000 Ivorian refugees in Liberia, and 5,000 in Ghana, while Burkina Faso and Mali are bracing themselves for the return of as many as 50,000 migrant workers over the coming weeks. The World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a nationwide airlift to get urgently-needed food, water, shelter and sanitation supplies to displaced Ivorians, as well as bolstering food and accommodation for refugees in Liberia. It has been bolstered by funds from the EU and other donors, but is still short of its target. The timing of the crisis is critical as the rainy season is due to start and if farmers do not plant maize and rice soon, then the food crisis could be exacerbated later in the year.

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