A large majority of Ivorian refugees in neighboring countries will no longer benefit from this status, announced on Tuesday (September 7th) the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) which estimates that "
many of them no longer need international protection
”.
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This decision, which the UNHCR recommends implementation on June 30, 2022, comes after a two-day meeting in Abidjan between the Ivorian government and countries hosting large numbers of refugees, including neighboring Liberia.
“
On the basis of an in-depth analysis of the situation in Côte d'Ivoire, UNHCR believes that the circumstances in which many Ivorians fled their country as refugees have ceased to exist and that many of them no longer exist. 'no longer need international protection
,' said Raouf Mazou, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations.
287,000 Ivorian refugees returned to their country
According to the UNHCR, since 2011, 287,000 Ivorian refugees have returned voluntarily to their country, or 92% of those who had left for neighboring countries.
However, some 51,000 people remain refugees and asylum seekers in the region, mainly in Ghana, Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania and Togo.
"
Those who still consider themselves in danger in the event of return can request an exemption procedure to remain under the protection of the UNHCR,
" said the UN agency in a press release.
According to the UNHCR, 60% of Ivorian refugees interviewed wish to return home and only 10% wish to remain in their host countries.
Read alsoIn Côte d'Ivoire, the impossible reconciliation
More than 300,000 Ivorians had notably fled their country during or after the violent post-electoral crisis of 2010-2011, born of Laurent Gbagbo's refusal to recognize his defeat in the presidential election to Alassane Ouattara. Their return is a major issue for national reconciliation in Côte d'Ivoire. By the end of 2020, more than 10,000 people had also fled Côte d'Ivoire to neighboring countries after violence linked to the election of President Ouattara for a controversial third term.
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