Climate and Conflict in the Sahel
By Mark Yarnell Mon, 05/14/2012 - 17:59The Sahel region of West Africa is facing a major food crisis for the third time in seven years. The region has suffered from poverty and vulnerability for generations, but now drought, poor harvests, high food prices, environmental degradation, and decreased remittances from Libya and Cote d’Ivoire are putting millions at risk.
It's Election Day in Liberia!
By Kristen Cordell Tue, 10/11/2011 - 11:34Today, Liberians head to the polls in the country's second presidential election since the end of a brutal fourteen-year civil war.
In 2009, I lived and worked in Liberia, and got to experience first-hand the diverse civil society that the country is famous for. During my time there, I met the National Election Council's (NEC) chairwoman Elisabeth Nelson, the first woman to hold the post. The NEC is crucial to making sure that all Liberians are engaged in a fair, transparent political process - and this includes women.
Ivory Coast: Reconciliation & Reconstruction or Revenge & Ruin
By Dawn Calabia Mon, 04/11/2011 - 17:18
Today’s top headline out of West Africa is the arrest of former President Laurent Gbagbo after his underground compound was reportedly stormed by Ivorian and international forces. After months of war, millions of people displaced, and thousands dead, President-elect Alassane Ouattara has serious challenges ahead as he begins to lead the Ivory Coast.
But how did we get to this point?
But how did we get to this point?
Cote d’Ivoire: Gbagbo’s Clinging to Power Threatens Civil War
By Dawn Calabia Fri, 01/28/2011 - 17:28
Once again death and displacement stalk 20 million Ivorians as President Lauren Gbagbo clings to the Presidency. His loss to Alassane Ouattara in November’s elections was certified by his own independent election commission and the UN, but rejected by his Supreme Court. The President of Nigeria on Monday, frustrated at failed negotiations, sanctions and threats, urged the UN Security Council to authorize a military intervention in Ivory Coast to remove President Gbagbo from the Presidential Palace and “give legitimacy to previous West African threats to send troops” unless Laurent Ouattara was permitted to become the new head of Cote d’Ivoire.
Gbagbo’s refusal to step down after ten years as president threatens to rekindle the 2002-2007 civil war between the North and South that killed thousands, displaced over 1 million people and created thousands of refugees largely based on a dispute over who was an “Ivorian,” and who was entitled to citizenship, the right to hold public office, own land,etc.
Gbagbo’s refusal to step down after ten years as president threatens to rekindle the 2002-2007 civil war between the North and South that killed thousands, displaced over 1 million people and created thousands of refugees largely based on a dispute over who was an “Ivorian,” and who was entitled to citizenship, the right to hold public office, own land,etc.
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Refugees International (RI) advocates for lifesaving assistance and protection for displaced people and promotes solutions to displacement crises.
We are an independent organization, and do not accept any government or UN funding.
We are an independent organization, and do not accept any government or UN funding.