Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, is celebrating World Refugee Day in Côte d’Ivoire with former refugees who have returned home ahead of the formal end of Ivorian refugee status later this month.
The process of formally terminating refugee status for Ivorian refugees – the application of cessation clauses – begins on June 30, signaling the end of an era of displacement for hundreds of thousands of Ivorian refugees.
The end of refugee status followed the peaceful ending of the West African nation’s two decades of intermittent civil conflict and governmental instability.
The conclusion of a crisis that compelled more than 300,000 people to migrate to neighboring nations and abroad is a welcome bright spot in the midst of a growing global trend of forced displacement.
The UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, reported last month that the crisis in Ukraine and other current crises had pushed the global number of people forced to leave conflict and persecution beyond 100 million for the first time.
The High Commissioner met former refugee families and wished them well on their return home at a ceremony in Abidjan organized by the President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, and attended by national representatives and ambassadors from countries that sponsored Ivorian refugees.
“For those of us in UNHCR, nothing is better than witnessing the end of exile. After two decades, Ivorian refugees can come home safely and in dignity. They are proud Ivorians – living and working in their own communities or in neighboring countries,” Grandi said.
“I was happy to spend Saturday with Ivorian refugees returning home. The return of hundreds of thousands of Ivorians demonstrates to the region – and the world – what is possible when there is political will to end violence and true cooperation among nations.”
The cessation clauses encourage countries hosting Ivorian refugees to facilitate voluntary repatriation or, for those few Ivorians who have decided to remain, to facilitate local integration, permanent residency, and naturalization.
Following civil turmoil between 2002 and 2007, and again between 2011 and 2012, Ivorians fled the country in two waves. Thousands of people fled to neighboring countries in 2020, fearing violence in connection with presidential and parliamentary elections.
More than 310,000 Ivorian refugees have decided to return home, accounting for 96% of all those registered in West Africa. Over 11,000 of the 14,000 individuals who have returned this year have come from neighboring Liberia, where the UNHCR organizes weekly transportation for Ivorians who want to return home.
Ivorians returning home may experience certain problems and may require ongoing assistance, but the government has committed to their reintegration and local communities are welcoming them back.
Grandi traveled to the Liberian border on June 18 to accompany Ivorian refugees on the final leg of their journey home by ferry across the river that separates the two countries.
Liberian officials formally gave birth certificates to their Ivorian counterparts at the crossing, ensuring that returnees can enroll their children in schools, receive national identity cards, and register to vote.
The High Commissioner promised that UNHCR would continue to support Côte d’Ivoire and the countries that have hosted Ivorian refugees in implementing the cessation provisions and assisting all those who choose to return home.