As Côte d'Ivoire celebrates today its 47th Independence Day
with renewed calls for peace and unity, more and more internally
displaced persons (IDPs) are asking for IOM's assistance to return
to and resettle in their former areas of residence in Western
Côte d'Ivoire.

"Thousands of IDPs have so far benefited from comprehensive
return and reintegration assistance provided by IOM, UN partners
and local authorities," says Jacques Seurt, IOM's Chief of Mission
in Côte d'Ivoire. "The recent flame of peace ceremony held
after five years of political unrest in the Central town of
Bouaké is adding incentive for many displaced persons to
return home."

Yesterday, another group of 51 families (153 individuals) left
the Centre for Assistance to Temporary Displaced Persons (CATD) in
Guiglo for three villages in the region of Bas-Cavally, some 120
kilometres to the west of the country near the Liberian border.
This brings to more than 9,000 the number of IDPs who have directly
benefited from IOM's return and reintegration assistance. 

The group, made up of West African migrant workers who had fled
ethnic strife in 2003, received food and non-food items such as
tarpaulins, blankets and kitchen kits which were pre-positioned by
IOM. More food assistance, seeds and tools will be provided by the
World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) in the coming days. 

The return and reintegration of IDPs follows extensive efforts
deployed by IOM and its partners to promote reconciliation over
complex land issues between communities of displaced Ivorian
migrant land workers from the central and northern regions and West
African migrant workers.

IOM teams regularly travel to remote villages in the western
prefectures of Toulepleu, Blolequin and Guiglo to organise
reconciliation meetings between traditional elders and
representatives of the displaced to find common agreement on often
complex land issues.

"The on-going return and reintegration programme requires more
funding from the international community if it is to be
sustainable," says Seurt. "Funding provided by the European
Commission Humanitarian Aid Department, the UN's Central Emergency
Response Fund and Norway has run out. IOM urgently needs an
additional USD 1.5 million to expand its peace consolidation,
return and community rehabilitation programmes throughout the
country for 2007."

For further information, please contact:

Issa Dramé

IOM Abidjan

Tel. +225 22 52 82 00

E-mail: "mailto:idrame@iom.int">idrame@iom.int