OCHA Situation Report No. 04
Cote d'Ivoire
24 February 2003


OVERVIEW

The stalemate in implementing the Linas-Marcoussis accord continues as
Ivorian Prime Minister Seydou Diarra negotiates with the Ivorian
authorities, rebel groups, and the international community, over how to
distribute key ministries in the reconciliation government. MPCI
rebel-group leader Soro Guillaume arrived in Paris on Friday 21 February
to discuss application of the accord with actors including French
authorities and the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative to the
Ivorian Crisis, Mr. Albert Tevoedjre. As the conflict drags on, the food
security and health of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced
persons (IDPs) and host communities are becoming increasingly tenuous, and
the entire sub-region is being touched by the effects of the strangled
economy and instability. Public services are not functioning in zones
under rebel control, and reports of violence, growing inter-ethnic
tensions, and human rights abuses continue to stream in from the entire
country. Third country nationals continue to flee the country. Another
muslim cleric in Abidjan and a muslim in a town just north of Abidjan were
killed during the reporting period.  A UN inter-agency, inter-disciplinary
delegation arrived this weekend in Cote d'Ivoire on a 12-day mission to
evaluate various aspects of the security situation, and to see how the UN
can contribute to ending the conflict through application of the
Marcoussis accord.



POLITICAL CONTEXT

National

The Ivorian Government reported that combat with MPCI rebels in the
village of Badiefla, some 20 kilometres northeast of the town of Zuenoula
and 280 kilometres northwest of Abidjan, took place on Wednesday 19
February.  The fighting resulted in a dozen wounded and one missing
Government soldier. This followed the killing of 5 civilians in the same
village on the evening of Saturday 8 February, according to the
Government, by rebel elements. The rebels claim that the Government is
attempting to "frame" them.


International / Regional

Ivorian Prime Minister Seydou Diarra attended the 22nd Franco-African
summit, which ended Friday 22 February in Paris. UN Secretary General Kofi
Annan told delegates there, "I call on all Ivorians, and particularly the
country's political leaders - in particular Laurent Gbagbo - to make the
agreement they signed last month a concrete first step towards peace."

The UN Security Council issued a statement on 21 February calling, "again
on all Ivorian political forces to implement fully and without delay the
Linas-Marcoussis Agreement and to cooperate with the Monitoring Committee
to that end? They called on all parties to respect human rights and
international humanitarian law for the entire population regardless of its
origin."  Both the European and African Unions have voiced full support
for the Marcoussis-Linas accord.



HUMANITARIAN SITUATION & RESPONSE

Protection - Amnesty International has added its voice to UNHCR's
continuing appeals to find a solution for some 40,000 Liberian refugees
remaining in Cote d'Ivoire, including some 7,000 in Nicla refugee camp
outside the town of Guiglo. "Liberian refugees are being indiscriminately
associated with the armed opposition? and are being killed both by Ivorian
security forces and groups of civilians, some of them armed by the
government," they said in a report dated 20 February.  UNHCR continues
voluntary repatriation of extremely vulnerable Liberian refugees from the
town of Tabou in southwestern Cote d'Ivoire: as of 19 February, 2,200 had
been repatriated.  Liberian refugees currently being housed in transit
centers in Abidjan staged several sit-ins in front of UNHCR's office in
Abidjan during the reporting period, demanding to be moved to a safer
location.

The NGO Solidarities further reports that near the western towns of Guiglo
and Duekoue, around 85,000 people have fled military confrontation, rape,
pillaging, summary executions and exactions. Shelter and hygiene
conditions in the overpopulated villages situated on the fringe of combat
zones in the area, they report, are deplorable, and humanitarian
assistance is not yet in place.  They have issued an urgent appeal for
funding.

A UNOCHA advocacy officer arrived in Abidjan on Saturday 22 February for a
one-week mission to address the role of the media in resolving the current
conflict.

Access - The western area of the country along the border with Liberia and
in particular the area between the towns of Toulepleu, Guiglo and Touba
remains highly unstable. WFP received information from the Government
Crisis Cell and the Ivorian Red Cross indicating that some 40,000 IDPs are
present in the Toulepleu-Guiglo area.  The national daily Notre Reveil
reported on 18 February that the area surrounding Toulepleu had been
"ravaged" by MPIGO forces and Liberian mercenaries. WFP has undertaken
missions in the past week to the western town of Guiglo and to the
southwestern towns of San Pedro and Tabou to assess the food security
situation of vulnerable populations and IDPs in those areas, including the
town of Grabo, recently retaken by Government forces. MSF Holland reports
that there are some 2,000 IDPs in Grabo, that foreigners are suffering
from human rights abuses there, that the town has been looted, and that
food security was tenuous. An inter-agency UN mission to the western towns
of Man and Danane is also being carried out (21-23 February). Reports of
atrocities and lawlessness in the west, and large numbers of IDPs fleeing
violence are extremely worrying.

Coordination - A UN Inter-Agency Humanitarian Coordination Committee
(IAHCC), chaired by Gemmo Lodesani of WFP, was established in Cote
d'Ivoire to better coordinate and deliver humanitarian aid in the context
of the current crisis.

Because the vast majority of IDPs in Cote d'Ivoire have found shelter and
support with host families, establishing their location and numbers has
been extremely difficult. OCHA initiated an Ad Hoc Working Group on IDP
presence in Cote d'Ivoire, which met twice in the past two weeks to share
information on the subject among humanitarian actors.  UN Agencies, the
Ivorian Government and local and international NGOs participated.  The
conclusions and considerations of the Working Group have been passed on to
the Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC), which began operations last
week at OCHA's offices, and will follow up with targeted, comprehensive,
nationwide data collection to obtain a reliable estimate. The HIC works in
collaboration with the National Centre for Teledetection and Geographical
Information [unofficial translation], to produce informational materials
for the humanitarian community, including maps.

Education - UNICEF, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education,
launched the "Back to School" campaign in Yamoussoukro, the nation's
official capital, on 13 February.  More than 130,000 children in the area
are targeted through support to several schools in the form of school
supplies and recreational equipment.  More funding is needed to enable
children in other areas affected by violence and instability to enjoy one
of their basic rights, the right to schooling.  UNICEF estimates that one
million primary school-age children and 250,000 secondary school-age
children have had their educations brutally interrupted since violence
erupted on 19 September 2002.

Food Security - WFP continues to provide food aid to vulnerable
populations in and around Bouake, and monitor the food security situation
of IDPs and host families in Yamoussoukro and the sub-prefecture of
Didievi with NGO partners including CARE.  They have implemented a
supplementary feeding programme for 30 moderately malnourished children
located in the Mie N'Gou reception center in Yamoussoukro with the
national NGO ASAPSU.  Mie N'Gou remains overcrowded and underfunded,
lacking adequate hygiene infrastructure and logistical support.  WFP is
working with UNICEF and the Ministry of Education under a School Feeding
Programme aimed at ensuring that children attend school in areas affected
by violence and instability. In Abidjan, WFP delivered food to 1,037
victims of shantytown destruction in seven UNHCR refugee transit centers
during the reporting period.

Health - The World Health Organisation issued a comprehensive report on
the effects of the current crisis on health care mechanisms in Cote
d'Ivoire on 12 February. The report highlights that 85% of medical
personnel in rebel-held zones have left their posts, and that at least 70%
of health care facilities are not functioning.  Medecins du Monde report
that in Seguela they are providing medical assistance and support to the
regional hospital, a Pediatric and Maternity Centre, and seven area health
centers. Of particular concern are reports of malnutrition in children
under five years of age, many severe cases of malaria resulting in death,
and elevated rates of births of underweight babies and mothers dying
during childbirth.



RESOURCE MOBILISATION

Donor support for humanitarian initiatives in Cote d'Ivoire is an urgent
concern.  Well under half of the funding requested by UN Agencies for
emergency interventions has been received.

The latest financial tracking tables can be viewed on-line at any time at
www.reliefweb.int/fts

Information sources include the Integrated Regional Information Network
(IRIN). With the exception of public UN sources, reproduction or
redistribution of the above text, in whole, part or in any form, requires
the prior consent of the original source. This situation report is posted
on www.reliefweb.int, an information resource for humanitarian crises.

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact:

Ms. Besida Tonwe, Head of Office
tel. +225-2240-4440

Mr. Jeff Brez, Information Officer
tel. +225-2240-5174
e-mail: jeff@ocha.ci

Mr. Pierre N'Goré, National Information Officer
tel: +225-2240-5172
e-mail: pierre@ocha.ci



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