CÔTE D’IVOIRE: Land tensions are a major obstacle to durable solutions A profile of the internal displacement situation 30 December, 2009 This Internal Displacement Profile is automatically generated from the online IDP database of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). It includes an overview of the internal displacement situation in the country prepared by the IDMC, followed by a compilation of excerpts from relevant reports by a variety of different sources. All headlines as well as the bullet point summaries at the beginning of each chapter were added by the IDMC to facilitate navigation through the Profile. Where dates in brackets are added to headlines, they indicate the publication date of the most recent source used in the respective chapter. The views expressed in the reports compiled in this Profile are not necessarily shared by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. The Profile is also available online at www.internal-displacement.org. About the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, established in 1998 by the Norwegian Refugee Council, is the leading international body monitoring conflict-induced internal displacement worldwide. Through its work, the Centre contributes to improving national and international capacities to protect and assist the millions of people around the globe who have been displaced within their own country as a result of conflicts or human rights violations. At the request of the United Nations, the Geneva-based Centre runs an online database providing comprehensive information and analysis on internal displacement in some 50 countries. Based on its monitoring and data collection activities, the Centre advocates for durable solutions to the plight of the internally displaced in line with international standards. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre also carries out training activities to enhance the capacity of local actors to respond to the needs of internally displaced people. In its work, the Centre cooperates with and provides support to local and national civil society initiatives. For more information, visit the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre website and the database at www.internal-displacement.org. Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre Norwegian Refugee Council Chemin de Balexert 7-9 1219 Geneva, Switzerland Tel.: +41 22 799 07 00 [email protected] www.internal-displacement.org 2 CONTENTS OVERVIEW.......................................................................................................................7 LAND TENSIONS ARE A MAJOR OBSTACLE TO DURABLE SOLUTIONS ....................................... 7 CAUSES AND BACKGROUND ..................................................................................... 12 BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................. 12 A CHRONOLOGY OF KEY EVENTS (2009) ............................................................................ 12 WARRING PARTIES INVOLVED IN THE POST-SEPTEMBER 2002 CRISIS: AN OVERVIEW ........... 16 THE MANIPULATION OF ETHNIC FACTORS FOR POLITICAL AND IDEOLOGICAL PURPOSES, 1893- 2003 ................................................................................................................................ 18 MERCENARIES AND REFUGEES FROM LIBERIA RECRUITED BY ALL PARTIES TO THE CONFLICT, END 2002-2003................................................................................................................ 20 “REGIONAL WARRIORS” RE-RECRUITED TO FIGHT IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE, 2004-2005 ................. 23 UN SANCTIONS IVORIAN LEADERS IN WAKE OF ORCHESTRATED ANTI-UN VIOLENCE, FEBRUARY 2006............................................................................................................... 24 COCOA TRADE HAS CONTRIBUTED TO FUNDING THE ARMED CONFLICT AND FUEL POLITICAL INSTABILITY, 2002-2009 ................................................................................................... 26 CONFLICT DIAMOND PHENOMENON PERSISTS IN CÔTE D'IVOIRE, 2009................................ 29 PEACE EFFORTS ............................................................................................................... 30 SUMMARY OF PEACE EFFORTS, 2003 - 2005...................................................................... 30 UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION ESTABLISHED IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE, 2004-2009........................... 33 THE PEACE PROCESS MOVES FORWARD THANKS TO HOME-GROWN AGREEMENT, MARCH– APRIL 2007 ...................................................................................................................... 34 PROGRESS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OUAGADOUGOU AGREEMENT, APRIL 2007- DECEMBER 2009 .............................................................................................................. 35 MAIN CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT ...................................................................................... 44 XENOPHOBIA AND ANTI FOREIGNER SENTIMENTS ARE A ROOT CAUSE OF DISPLACEMENT (2004).............................................................................................................................. 44 GOVERNMENT AND REBEL FORCES CAUSE MASS DISPLACEMENT IN ABIDJAN AND PROVINCES IN AFTERMATH OF FAILED COUP OF SEPTEMBER 2002........................................................ 48 ABUSES IN REBEL-HELD AREAS CAUSE RENEWED DISPLACEMENT FOLLOWING NOVEMBER 2004 CRISIS (2004-2005) ................................................................................................. 49 RESUMPTION OF ARMED CLASHES AND MOB VIOLENCE IN ABIDJAN CAUSES DISPLACEMENT AND MASS EVACUATION OF EXPATRIATES (NOVEMBER 2004).............................................. 52 INTER-COMMUNAL CLASHES DISPLACE CIVILIANS, 2002-2009 ............................................ 53 POPULATION FIGURES AND PROFILE ...................................................................... 59 GLOBAL FIGURES ............................................................................................................. 59 TOTAL NUMBER OF IDPS IS UNDETERMINED AS ONLY AVAILABLE FIGURES REFER TO THE WEST (SEPTEMBER 2009) ................................................................................................ 59 3 SOME 600,000 PEOPLE ARE STILL DISPLACED (APRIL 2009)............................................... 61 IDP NUMBER REMAINS 709,000 FOR PLANNING PURPOSES (JANUARY 2008) ...................... 61 MORE THAN 1 MILLION IVORIANS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE DISPLACED AT THE HEIGHT OF THE CONFLICT (2003) .............................................................................................................. 63 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.......................................................................................... 63 SOME 40,000 IDPS IN THE WEST BY JULY 2009 (SEPTEMBER 2009)................................. 63 UP TO SOME 440,000 PEOPLE STILL DISPLACED IN ABIDJAN, HIGHEST PROPORTION IN YOPOUGON AND ABOBO (2008) ........................................................................................ 64 ABIDJAN HOSTS ALMOST 70 PER CENT OF IDPS IN GOVERNMENT-HELD SOUTH (NOVEMBER 2006)............................................................................................................................... 66 THE CENTRE D'ACCUEIL TEMPORAIRE DES DÉPLACÉS IN GUIGLO CLOSES BUT IDPS STILL REMAIN (OCTOBER 2008).................................................................................................. 67 DISAGGREGATED DATA..................................................................................................... 68 DEMOGRAPHIC DATA OF IDPS IN ABIDJAN (2008) .............................................................. 68 ETHNICITY OF IDPS IN ABIDJAN (2008).............................................................................. 68 DEMOGRAPHIC DATA OF IDPS IN GOVERNMENT ZONES (MARCH 2006) ............................... 70 PATTERNS OF DISPLACEMENT ................................................................................. 72 GENERAL ......................................................................................................................... 72 VAST MAJORITY OF IDPS LIVE WITH HOST FAMILIES OR COMMUNITIES (2009)...................... 72 CONTINUOUS VIOLENCE CAUSES REPEATED SHORT-TERM DISPLACEMENT (2008) ............... 74 CHAIN DISPLACEMENT AFFECTS THE WEST (JULY 2007) .................................................... 75 PHYSICAL SECURITY & FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT ................................................ 77 PHYSICAL SECURITY ......................................................................................................... 77 HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AGAINST IDPS AND RETURNEES IN THE WEST (JULY 2009)........... 77 RAPES ARE ON THE INCREASE BUT PERPETRATORS ARE RARELY PROSECUTED (JULY 2009)77 CHILDREN ARE PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO DISPLACEMENT, SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND EXPLOITATION AND LOSS OF LIFE BECAUSE OF INTER-COMMUNITY TENSIONS (JUNE 2009) .. 79 DISPLACED WOMEN AND GIRLS ARE MOST VULNERABLE TO SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL EXPLOITATION (OCTOBER 2008)........................................................................................ 83 LEVELS OF INSECURITY REMAIN HIGH ESPECIALLY IN MOYEN CAVALLY AND VALLÉE DU BANDAMA REGIONS (OCTOBER 2008)................................................................................ 85 FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT .................................................................................................. 87 HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN CÔTE D'IVOIRE (JUNE 2009) ........................................................