Refugee shelters destroyed

2002-10-01 23:05

Geneva - Authorities in the west African state of Ivory Coast are destroying shanty towns in which foreign refugees have sought sanctuary under United Nations protection, a UN official reported here on Tuesday.

Describing conditions since an army rebellion on September 19, a UN spokesperson said more than 165 refugees from Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Togo and Sudan had been lodged in one residential house in the main city Abidjan.

Kris Janowski, spokesperson of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR), said there was concern that government forces were continuing to tear down shanty towns and thus displacing more people in Abidjan.

"The government is trying basically to maintain security," he said. "They have some fear that they could have opposition or rebel elements hiding in those shanty towns which are very difficult to get a handle on."

"On the other hand, it is displacing a lot of people, including people that we (UNHCR) are specifically supposed to protect," Janowski added.

Trauma and bitterness

"We're now desperately looking for more sites to house refugees who have been displaced within Abidjan," Janowski said.

"Some spend the night outside our gates, leaving themselves exposed to potential trouble after curfew," he added.

He said the situation in the country remained volatile and unpredictable after the attempted coup.

"Our message to the government was basically: Be careful, don't worsen an already bad situation," the UN spokesperson stressed.

UNHCR and other UN officials on Monday met Ivorian Prime Minister Pascal Affi N'Guessan, who said he was willing to co-operate with aid agencies.

The UN says more than 6 500 displaced persons from both Ivory Coast and elswehere were in Abidjan after being forced out of their homes.

They were traumatised and embittered by being made targets of attacks by local people, it said. - Sapa-AFP

- SAPA