December 5 - December 18

Refugees International (RI) Advocates Sarah Martin and Fidele Lumeya are conducting a humanitarian assessment mission to Liberia to assess the needs of displaced persons and returning refugees as well as to investigate the conditions for recently arrived refugees from Côte D’Ivoire.

Currently, there is movement towards a fragile peace in Liberia. However, many obstacles to a sustainable peace exist after 14 years of civil war have resulted in widespread human rights violations, displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and destruction of vast areas of the country. With neighboring Côte D’Ivoire in turmoil again and the influx of Ivoirians into Liberia, conditions for peace remain precarious.

In this mission, Refugees International will assess conditions in areas of return for displaced persons and returning refugees. In particular, RI will look at what is necessary to increase the protection of displaced persons in Liberia, especially women and children.

RI will also travel to the border with Côte D’Ivoire to document the influx of Ivoirians into Liberia and to investigate the conditions for these recently arrived refugees.

This is the second mission RI has made to Liberia this year. RI advocates Sarah Martin and Fidele Lumeya will arrive in Monrovia on December 5. The advocates will travel to Tubmanburg, Buchanan and other regions of return including the border with Côte D’Ivoire.