UNHCR Repatriates 135 Refugees From Côte d’Ivoire

30 May 2011

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has facilitated the voluntary repatriation of 135 Liberian refugees, comprising 75 females and 60 males, from the West African state of Côte d’Ivoire.

The UNHCR chartered airline, Air Memphis, landed by 5:30 p.m at the Roberts International Airport, about 60 km from the Liberian capital, Monrovia, where Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC) and UNHCR officials were present to welcome the returnees after many years in refuge.

“I fled Liberia on 11 March 1994 through Guinea for Côte d’Ivoire. One cannot be a refugee forever that is why I have returned home,” said 37-year-old David Kaye Farley, who returned with Gloria, 11, and Michel, 10, who were born in exile and are more fluent in French than English, Liberia’s official language.

The former refugees, some of whom returned with items such as cooking utensils and mattresses, were screened by Liberia’s security and immigration personnel. “I am very happy to see my home today. I went to Côte d’Ivoire together with my uncle as a baby.  My parents were not home when fighting broke out in our area in Liberia, so I grew up with my uncle, who has passed away. My first task now is to search for my parents and see them for the first time,” remarked 22-year-old Smallmoris.

Upon arrival, the refugees received a voluntary repatriation grant. They were also provided with additional transport allowance depending on their final destinations. “The UNHCR will continue to facilitate voluntary repatriation of refugees from Côte d’Ivoire and other countries. On Thursday, we are hoping to facilitate another return   of more than 120 Liberian refugees from Abidjan,” said the UNHCR Representative to Liberia, Mr. Ibrahima Coly, adding that the UN refugee agency had over the years provided many services in return areas, including the rehabilitation of schools, roads and clinics, provided water and sanitation facilities, as well as income generation activities, in order to ensure that returns are sustained. Added to Côte d’Ivoire, Mr. Coly said there are currently some 63,000 Liberian refugees in neighbouring countries such as Ghana, Sierra Leone, Guinea, The Gambia and Nigeria.

Since 2004, the UNHCR has facilitated the return of more than 170,000 Liberian refugees in collaborati

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