Côte d'Ivoire: UN humanitarian mission witnesses the flight of thousands of persons from Bouake

From 10 to 13 October 2002, a United Nations inter-agency mission visited Bouake and surrounding cities and villages including M'Bahiakro, Brobo, and Tiebissou as well as the nation's administrative capital Yamoussoukro, to identify pressing humanitarian needs. The mission also established contact with local authorities, humanitarian organisations on the ground, such as the Red Cross, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Catholic Church to discuss modalities for the provision of humanitarian aid.
Led by the head of OCHA's Regional Support Office for West Africa in Abidjan, the mission comprised of representatives of UNICEF, WFP, UNHCR, WHO and OCHA/IRIN.

According to mission members, the city of Bouake has partially become a "ghost town" with several neighbourhoods completely empty of its residents. Shops, banks, pharmacies and commercial businesses remained closed since the 19th of September. The inability of Bouake's remaining residents to withdraw money from the banks is creating an increasingly untenable situation. The few open markets have very limited produce with only onions and yams available in some quantity. In addition, the prices of these basic commodities have increased three to four times from their original price since the beginning of the conflict. Cooking gas or charcoal has also become very scarce and expensive.

While hospitals and other social services are barely functioning, most of the medical personnel have either left the city or are unable to leave their homes.

The mission witnessed an estimated influx of more than 32,000 people fleeing Bouake in the direction of Brobo, M'Bahiakro, Sakassou, Didievei and Yamoussoukro. This brings to about 200,000 the number of people estimated to have left Bouake and become internally displaced persons [IDPs]. The figures, collected from some of the transit centers in the region of Bouake, are partial and need to be verified. After leaving Bouake some of the IDPs proceeded to their villages of origin or towns located further south of the "ghost town". Women and children are the most affected, exhibiting signs of extreme exhaustion and fatigue including swollen feet, after two to three days of walking to safety. The Catholic Church has been instrumental in providing shelter and food, and in some instances transportation for the displaced. Their capacity to continue this level of services will be stretched to the limit should the flow of displaced persons continue to increase.

The key humanitarian needs identified by the United Nations humanitarian assessment mission include the following - support to the existing and spontaneous transit centers, transportation for displaced persons, food aid, access to water and sanitation, health services and the protection of civilians caught up in the armed conflict. The mission also noted that it is critical to develop measures to retain the medical personnel both in government-held territory and in the war zones.

In response to these findings, the United Nations World Food Programme in partnership with the ICRC has begun the distribution of food aid to 3,000 vulnerable persons in hospitals, orphanages, and other institutions. They will also soon begin to identify other families in need of food aid.

On Wednesday 16 October 2002, the United Nations will share its findings with the Ivorian Government's humanitarian coordination cell.

For more information please contact:

Mrs. Besida Tonwe, Head of Office, OCHA-RSOWA
Office: 225 22 40 51 70
Cell: 225 07 01 36 63
Home: 225 2242 0398
E-mail: tonwe@un.org; or besida@ocha.ci

Mme. Elizabeth Byrs
Spokesperson OCHA, Geneva
Tel. : [4122] 917 2653