Liberia: Focus for IDP returnees moves from conflict to development

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^{31 December 2009}

Up to 500,000 people in Liberia were internally displaced by the 14-year civil war which ended in 2003 with the Accra Peace Agreement. IDP camps were officially closed in 2006 and the return of IDPs and refugees was completed in mid-2007.

In 2009, both the government and its international partners considered the internal displacement situation in Liberia to be over. However, the specific concerns of an unknown number of unregistered IDPs who had found refuge in public buildings in the capital Monrovia during the war remained undocumented.

Liberia is facing extraordinary reconstruction challenges and many of the vulnerabilities shown by the returnees are shared by the rest of the population. However, a survey published in 2009 showed the heavy toll that displacement had had on Liberians, as becoming displaced still represented the biggest fear for more than a third of respondents. Insecurity has continued in areas of return, with repeated clashes between rival ethnic groups over land ownership. Sexual and gender-based violence remains a major concern. Durable solutions will depend on better services and infrastructure, the peaceful resolution of land conflicts, and improved security of tenure for those who opted to integrate in the place they were displaced to, or to settle elsewhere in the country.

The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement were adopted into national legislation in 2004 but there is still room for better governance and wider access to justice to guarantee durable solutions. In 2009, Liberia was among the countries which signed the Kampala Convention. The current challenge is to phase out the humanitarian clusters in such as way as to enable the transition to recovery and development, yet ensure that residual humanitarian needs are addressed.

25 June 2009: ICRC report shows continuing impact of displacement caused by civil war

A recent survey commissioned by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has highlighted the impact that the 14-year long civil war has had on Liberians. Becoming displaced still represented the biggest fear for more than a third of the respondents. Nine out of ten respondents had to leave their homes and nearly as many had their houses looted. In most cases, because of displacement, people lost contact with their close relatives.

The armed conflict ended five years ago, and the government declared the IDP return process to be completed in 2006. However, challenges remain, including high unemployment (particularly among young people and ex-combatants), drug trafficking and food insecurity. A UN Security Council mission in May 2009 highlighted the need for progress in developing Liberia’s security institutions.