In western Cote d’Ivoire, IOM is extending efforts to
facilitate the safe and orderly return of thousands of Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their areas of residence.



IOM-organized events to promote reconciliation between communities
of displaced West African migrant workers and the local population
are currently taking place in Péhé, a small town in
the prefecture of Toulepleu, near the Liberian border.



The gatherings, carried out in coordination with local authorities
and partner NGOs bring together members of displaced communities
and traditional elders to discuss reconciliation and issues
surrounding the return to the land for displaced migrant workers
who fled ethnic strife in 2002 and 2003.



“IOM teams regularly travel to villages in the prefectures of
Toulepleu, Blolequin and Guiglo to meet traditional elders,”
says Jacques Seurt, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Cote
d’Ivoire. “Once the elders have accepted to meet
representatives of the displaced, we organise a first get-together
at the IOM run IDP centre in Guiglo.”



The Centre for Assistance to Temporary Displaced Persons (CATD)
currently shelters more than 7,100 West African migrant workers,
mostly nationals from Burkina Faso and Mali but also people of
Burkinabé and Malian descent who, in some cases, have worked
the land for two generations or more.



Until now, most displaced migrant workers have been prevented from
returning to their villages and fields because of complex issues
relating to land tenure



“This first meeting contributes to building trust between
communities. It is usually followed by ceremonies of reconciliation
in villages, which have until now expressed concerns regarding the
return of the displaced,” says IOM’s Jacques Seurt.




The ceremonies, which include the slaughter and consumption of
roosters and livestock, bring together hundreds of people from both
communities and usually pave the way for dialogue and
reconciliation at a local level.



So far, IOM has organised ceremonies to promote reconciliation and
social cohesion in the towns of Zeaglo, Douet-Guezon and
Péhé. More than 300 displaced persons should be
returning to Péhé in the coming days with IOM’s
assistance.



This initiative is funded by the European Commission Humanitarian
Aid Department (ECHO) and by the Central Emergency Response Fund
(CERF)



For further information, please contact



Jacques Seurt

IOM Abidjan

Tel: +225 22 52 82 00

E-mail: "mailto:Jseurt@iom.int" target="" title="">Jseurt@iom.int