WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ — More than 170,000 refugees have fled Côte d’Ivoire – mostly to Liberia – and hundreds of thousands more have been internally displaced as a result of the recent political unrest and violence. In response, the United States is pleased to announce an additional pledge of $8.5 million to assist these refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The U.S. contributions will include $6.5 million in support for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and $2 million for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide humanitarian assistance to Ivoirians displaced inside Cote d’Ivoire and to Ivoirian refugees in the region. This assistance will include provision of health care and essential household items, construction and maintenance of camps, increasing access to clean water, and restoring family links severed as a result of displacement.
The United States, through the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, previously provided $12.6 million for humanitarian response in Côte d’Ivoire and neighboring countries in March. The U.S. Agency for International Development has also provided almost $22 million in funding and food aid to non-governmental organizations and UN agencies in Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire. With this latest funding, the U.S. will have provided $43 million in humanitarian assistance to refugees, IDPs, and other conflict-affected populations in the region.
