Children walk in an Ivorian refugee camp, commonly known as PTP camp, in Grand Gedeh County, eastern
Liberia, on May 22, 2012. More than 58,000 Ivorian refugees remain in Liberia as of August 2013, including
more than 11,000 at PTP camp. © 2012 REUTERS/Thierry Gouegnon
Most of the several dozen Ivorian refugees interviewed in Liberia in December 2012 cited
land dispossession as among the main reasons why they feel unable to return to Côte
d’Ivoire. Other reasons included what they perceived to be a lack of security for proGbagbo supporters and, relatedly, the lack of progress on disarmament. A Liberian
refugee official in Zwedru similarly told Human Rights Watch that refugees cited two
main reasons for not returning to Côte d’Ivoire: first, security; and second, because of
the alleged occupation of their land.168
During field work in western Côte d’Ivoire in February and June 2013, Human Rights
Watch documented few targeted abuses by security forces against perceived Gbagbo
supporters. Many residents, including Guérés, told Human Rights Watch that the security
situation had improved significantly compared to 12 months ago. However, the
168 Human Rights Watch interview with Liberian refugee official, Zwedru, Liberia, December 4, 2012. In December 2012, the Norwegian
Refugee Council (NRC), which manages several Ivorian refugee camps in Liberia, reported that “30% of the refugees interviewed in
Liberia stated that one reason that they were not returning to their communities of origin was because their house or their land was
occupied and 45% stated that general security concerns prevented them from returning.” NRC, “Land Conflict and Food Security in the
Liberian-Ivoirian Border Region,” http://www.nrc.no/arch/_img/9672311.pdf (accessed September 2, 2013), p. 19.
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HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | OCTOBER 2013
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