PROFILE OF INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT : GUINEA Compilation of the information available in the Global IDP Database of the Norwegian Refugee Council (as of 25 November, 2001) Also available at http://www.idpproject.org Users of this document are welcome to credit the Global IDP Database for the collection of information. The opinions expressed here are those of the sources and are not necessarily shared by the Global IDP Project or NRC Norwegian Refugee Council/Global IDP Project Chemin Moïse Duboule, 59 1209 Geneva - Switzerland Tel: + 41 22 788 80 85 Fax: + 41 22 788 80 86 E-mail : [email protected] CONTENTS CONTENTS 1 PROFILE SUMMARY 5 CAUSES AND BACKGROUND OF DISPLACEMENT 8 MAIN CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT 8 CROSS-BORDER INCURSIONS FROM LIBERIA AND SIERRA LEONE DURING AUGUST 2000-MAY 2001 PERIOD CAUSED MAJOR DISPLACEMENTS (AUGUST 2000-MAY 2001) 8 FLOODS IN SEPTEMBER 2001 CAUSE ADDITIONAL DISPLACEMENT (OCTOBER 2001) 9 ETHNICITY MAY BE A FACTOR IN COMPLEX POPULATION DISPLACEMENT AT REGIONAL LEVEL (MARCH 2001) 9 BACKGROUND OF THE CONFLICT 10 STRAINED POLITICAL RELATIONS IN MANO RIVER REGION SINCE 1999 (1999-2000) 10 INTENSE CROSS-BORDER RAIDS FROM LIBERIA AND RUF-CONTROLLED SIERRA LEONE WERE CARRIED OUT DURING PERIOD FROM AUGUST 2000 TO MAY 2001 (DECEMBER 2000-MARCH 2001) 10 GUECKEDOU REGION, AND IN PARTICULAR PARROT'S BEAK, WAS PRIMARY SITE OF CLASHES DURING HEIGHT OF FIGHTING (JANUARY 2000-APRIL 2001) 12 ARMS AND DIAMOND SMUGGLING PLAY MAJOR ROLE IN THE DESTABILIZATION OF THE REGION (NOVEMBER 2000-MARCH 2001) 14 SECURITY SITUATION IN COUNTRY HAS STABILISED SINCE MAY 2001 (OCTOBER 2001) 15 FLOODS IN SEPTEMBER 2001 HAVE AFFECTED APPROXIMATELY 200,000 PERSONS IN UPPER GUINEA (OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2001) 16 POPULATION PROFILE AND FIGURES 18 GENERAL 18 ICRC AND WFP CONDUCTED KEY CENSUS WORK OF DISPLACED POPULATIONS IN EARLY MONTHS OF FIGHTING (JANUARY 2001) 18 GLOBAL FIGURES 18 GOVERNMENT ESTIMATES THERE TO BE 359,000 IDPS IN GUINEA (NOVEMBER 2001) 18 SOME INTERNATIONAL SOURCES SUGGEST THAT AS MANY AS 190,000 TO 200,000 PERSONS MAY STILL BE INTERNALLY DISPLACED (AUGUST-OCTOBER 2001) 19 LOOSE ESTIMATES OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF IDPS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING CRISIS RANGED FROM 60,000 TO 300,000 (JUNE 2001) 19 GUINEA ALSO HOST TO SOME 192,000 REFUGEES 19 GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION 20 NEWEST IDPS FROM SEPTEMBER 2001 FLOODS PRIMARILY CONCENTRATED IN NORTH OF COUNTRY (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2001) 20 CIVILIANS DISPERSED BY FIGHTING HAVE CONGREGATED IN VARIOUS CITIES AND VILLAGES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY (MAY-NOVEMBER 2001) 21 PATTERNS OF DISPLACEMENT 23 GENERAL 23 MANY OF THE DISPLACED HAVE REPORTEDLY INTEGRATED WITH RESIDENT POPULATIONS (NOVEMBER 2000-MARCH 2001) 23 PHYSICAL SECURITY & FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT 24 PHYSICAL SECURITY 24 IDPS SUBJECT TO HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN GUINEA (JUNE 2001) 24 IDP CHILDREN COMPRISE A PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE GROUP (JULY 2001) 24 FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT 25 LARGE NUMBER OF CHECK-POINTS HINDERS FREE MOVEMENT OF REFUGEES AS WELL AS IDPS (JULY 2001) 25 IDPS OF KISSI MINORITY ETHNIC GROUP FORCED TO PAY FINES AND MOVE FROM KISSIDOUGOU DURING COURSE OF HEAVIEST FIGHTING (MARCH 2001) 25 SUBSISTENCE NEEDS (HEALTH NUTRITION AND SHELTER) 26 HEALTH/NUTRITION 26 HEALTH COORDINATION MEETINGS RECOMMENCE IN GUECKEDOU (NOVEMBER 2001) 26 UNICEF AND ACF CONDUCT NUTRITIONAL SURVEY IN REGIONS WITH LARGE IDP POPULATIONS (JULY 2001) 26 OVERALL HEALTH CARE SITUATION POOR DUE TO UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT (JANUARY-MARCH 2001) 26 UNICEF REBUILDING THREE HEALTH CENTRES IN GUECKEDOU (MAY 2001) 27 GLOBAL ACUTE MALNUTRITION RATES IN ACCESSIBLE AREAS AT UNACCEPTABLE LEVELS (APRIL 2001) 28 SHELTER AND NON-FOOD ITEMS 28 IDPS LIVING IN ABANDONED BUILDINGS UNFIT FOR HUMAN SURVIVAL (MARCH 2001) 28 ACCESS TO EDUCATION 30 GENERAL 30 UNICEF LEADS EFFORTS TO CONDUCT EMERGENCY EDUCATION FOLLOWING THE FIGHTING (OCTOBER 2001) 30 FIGHTING HAS RESULTED IN RUINED EDUCATION SYSTEM (MARCH 2001) 30 PATTERNS OF RETURN AND RESETTLEMENT 32 GENERAL 32 2 IOM PROJECT AIMS TO ASSIST IDPS TO MAKE A SAFE AND REGULARISED RETURN (MARCH 2001) 32 HUMANITARIAN ACCESS 33 GENERAL 33 HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES WERE ONLY ABLE TO PROVIDE INTERMITTENT ASSISTANCE IN MOST AFFECTED AREAS DURING HEIGHT OF EMERGENCY (SEPTEMBER 2000-MARCH 2001) 33 PARROT'S BEAK AREA, SOUTHWEST OF GUECKEDOU, WAS THE MOST VOLATILE AREA (JANUARY- APRIL 2001) 34 UNHCR STAFF MEMBERS HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO ATTACK (SEPTEMBER 2000-JANUARY 2001) 36 NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSES 37 NATIONAL RESPONSE 37 GUINEAN GOVERNMENT DISPATCHED DONATED FOOD AND NON-FOOD ITEMS TO IDPS IN APRIL 2001 37 GOVERNMENT ASSESSMENT OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED CONDUCTED IN OCTOBER 2000 37 REGIONAL RESPONSE 38 REGIONAL LEADERS HAVE SEARCHED FOR WAYS TO END THE VIOLENCE (APRIL-MAY 2001) 38 PLAN TO SEND ECOWAS TROOPS TO BORDER AREAS PUT ON HOLD INDEFINITELY (NOVEMBER 2000-APRIL 2001) 39 INTERNATIONAL FUNDING 40 UN 2002 CONSOLIDATED APPEAL REQUESTS A TOTAL OF 58,470,746 USD FOR ASSISTANCE AND REHABILITATION ACTIVITIES (NOVEMBER 2001) 40 UN REQUESTS ADDITIONAL US$1.8 MILLION FOR SEPTEMBER 2001 FLOOD VICTIMS (NOVEMBER 2001) 41 UN CONSOLIDATED APPEAL FOR WEST AFRICA LAUNCHED IN MARCH 2001 REQUESTS SOME $35,641,467 FOR GUINEA EMERGENCY 41 LATEST OCHA UPDATE SUMMARISES FUNDING RECEIVED THUS FAR FOR GUINEA BY SECTOR (NOVEMBER 2001) 41 U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS PROVIDED MORE THAN $40 MILLION IN ASSISTANCE TO GUINEA IN FY 2001 (OCTOBER 2001) 42 EUROPEAN COMMISSION GIVES 4.5 MILLION EURO IN AID FOR GUINEA; GLOBAL PLAN RECENTLY ACCEPTED FOR ENTIRE MANO REGION WORTH 5.1 MILLION EURO (MAY 2001) 43 UK DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (DFID) HAS PROVIDED £5 MILLION TO STEM GROWING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN WEST AFRICA (FEBRUARY 2001) 44 SELECTED UN HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES FOR 2001 45 UN FLOOD ASSISTANCE INCLUDES DISTRIBUTION OF EMERGENCY FOOD AND NON-FOOD ITEMS (NOVEMBER 2001) 45 UN SECRETARY GENERAL DISPATCHED INTER-AGENCY MISSION TO EVALUATE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN WEST AFRICA (MARCH-MAY 2001) 45 WFP HAS PROVIDED FOOD ASSISTANCE TO IDPS SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF FIGHTING (JANUARY- NOVEMBER 2001) 46 UNHCR PROVIDED LIMITED ASSISTANCE TO INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS AT HEIGHT OF CRISIS (JANUARY 2001) 49 UNICEF AND WHO HAVE WORKED TO ADDRESS HEALTH NEEDS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED AND OTHER VULNERABLE POPULATIONS (MARCH 2001) 50 3 UNDP PROVIDED AID TO INTERNALLY DISPLACED IN KANKAN (JANUARY 2001) 51 UN POPULATION FUND PROJECTS ARE PROPOSED TO ASSESS THE NEEDS OF IDPS (MARCH 2001) 52 SELECTED ICRC HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES FOR 2001 53 ICRC, ALONG WITH WFP, HAS ASSISTED THOSE GUINEANS DISPLACED BY FIGHTING SINCE LATE 2000; NEW AID ALSO DISTRIBUTED TO SEPTEMBER 2001 FLOOD VICTIMS (SEPTEMBER 2000- APRIL 2001) 53 SELECTED NGO HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES FOR 2001 55 ACTIVITIES OF MEDECINS DU MONDE (MDM) IN GUINEA 56 ACTIVITIES OF ACTION CONTRE LA FAIM (ACF) IN 2001 57 ACTIVITIES OF CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES (CRS)/CARITAS IN 2001 57 ACTIVITIES OF INTERNATIONAL RECUE COMMITTEE (IRC) IN 2001 60 ACTION BY CHURCHES TOGETHER (ACT) PROGRAMME 62 TEAR FUND PROGRAMME FOR 2001 62 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS 63 LIST OF SOURCES USED 64 4 PROFILE SUMMARY The crisis that began in Guinea in September 2000 gradually subsided during the course of 2001. As of November, the security situation had stabilized throughout the country with the exception of the town of Kissidougou where relief agencies reported sporadic skirmishes in August and September (USAID 3 October 2001). The intense fighting of previous months had left many southern towns and villages completely destroyed. At the same time, the internal displacement of civilian populations, a phenomenon previously unknown to this West African country, was widespread. According to the Guinean Government, some 359,000 Guineans remained displaced in the country as of August 2001 (UN November 2001, pp. 12-13). Another 192,000 refugees were also present, many of whom had been relocated to new camps north of the Parrot's Beak region and away from border areas (OCHA 5 November 2001; USAID 3 October 2001; HRW July 2001). Violence spilled over into Guinea when cross-border raids from Liberia and areas of Sierra Leone controlled by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) intensified in both severity and frequency in September 2000. For the first time, armed combatants attacked major provincial capitals at some distance from the frontier. The Guinean government accused Liberia and RUF rebels of being responsible for the attacks and responded forcibly with helicopter bombings on RUF-held villages in Sierra Leone (IRIN-WA 8 December 2000). The Parrot's Beak region, southwest of Gueckedou, was the main "theatre" of clashes with an estimated 70,000 refugees and IDPs trapped by fighting there during the height of the crisis (WFP 12 January 2001; UNHCR 2001). The towns of Gueckedou and Kissidougou were also heavily impacted. Gueckedou and its environs were completely deserted and destroyed. Only recently had activity in the main town of Gueckedou slowly recommenced (Childreach June 2001). While the Government of Guinea puts the current number of IDPs at over 300,000, international agencies report figures ranging from 60,000 to 190,000 (USCR 19 June 2001; WFP 8 August 2001 in USAID 3 October 2001). One explanation for the variation in figures may be related to the recent floods in the country. Devastating flooding of the Niger River in September 2000 has affected an estimated 200,000 persons in Upper Guinea, at least some of whom have been displaced from their homes (OCHA 5 November 2001; DPI 29 October 2001). The bulk of the conflict-induced displaced are concentrated in the prefectures of Gueckedou, Nzérékoré, Kissidougou and Macenta. Kindia and Forécariah are also reported to have important concentrations of internally displaced persons (UN November 2001). The full and complete return of internally displaced persons has been slowed by the complete destruction of many of the southeastern towns from which they came. The flooding in September 2001 also resulted in instability that did not encourage return. In large part, internally displaced persons have integrated with resident populations.