EMBARGOED TO THE MEDIA UNTIL TUESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2003, 1100 HRS NEW YORK TIME

West Africa

CONSOLIDATED APPEAL

SUMMARY

Regional crisis

Civilians in parts the West Africa sub-region continued to suffer various forms of insecurity during 2003.

In Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia, they endured economic stagnation and violent conflicts. In Mali and Burkina Faso, their economies were weakened by the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire.

In Guinea-Bissau, people have faced instability and challenges to their livelihoods. In Guinea and Togo, there has been political instability.

In Mauritania, there has also been political tension; and, increased vulnerability in rural areas to drought, with civilians taking refuge in the border areas of Guinea, Mali, Ghana and Burkina Faso.

In Guinea, Mali, Ghana, Burkina Faso, the effects of the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia have been felt through: violence, small arms traffic, economic and social service decline, and mass population displacements within and across borders.

Since the September 2002 crisis in Côte d'Ivoire and new fierce fighting in Liberia, the pattern of displacement has evolved as follows:

Ivorian refugees fleeing Côte d'Ivoire included some 38,350 who crossed into Liberia, 8,350 into Guinea, 3,860 into Ghana, 1,020 into Mali and 488 into Burkina Faso.

Many third country nationals also left Côte d'Ivoire. Of them, 11,825 went to Guinea, about 150,000 to Ghana, and 2000 to Burkina Faso on their ways home.

IDP numbers in Côte d'Ivoire reached above 800,000 at the peak of the crisis.

Meanwhile in Liberia, some 300,000 IDPs moved away from combat zones to Monrovia and surrounding areas. Another 23,370 Liberians fled across the border to Guinea.

Many other people returned to their homelands. Some 100,719 returned to Guinea, 38,424 to Mali, 341,825 to Burkina Faso (by mid-year) and 6,400 to Ghana.

Much remains to be done to measure the long-term impact of these forced displacements on basic social services, economic systems and social stability in the region.

These movements have strained host communities. Along with the collapse of basic social services in war-affected parts Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire, they have further weakened the overall human security environment in the sub-region, worsening poverty and instability.

Regional response

The Joint Humanitarian Review Mission undertaken by the United Nations, donors and NGOs from June to July 2003 concluded that an overall subregional strategy should address critical protection, coordination and peacebuilding issues in the years ahead.

To break the circle of violence in the region, humanitarian agencies must play a positive and active role to:

• Ensure a smooth transition from relief to development
• Provide protection to refugees, IDPs, third country nationals and returnees
• Prepare appropriate early warning and preventive measures for the sub-region
• Address root causes of the conflicts, at political, social, economic levels
• Implement long term peace-building efforts
• Implement strong sub-regional co-ordination of humanitarian interventions, linking with development actors

Mechanisms will be established so that monitoring, assessment and evaluation can be assured over time.

Request

In order to address humanitarian needs in the subregion, this appeal requests overall funding of US$ 120,760,309.

Funding Requirements in 2004
(US$)