International Workshop on Migration and Poverty
in West Africa
March 13-14, 2003
University of Sussex
Conflict and Forced Migration in West Africa, with
Côte d’Ivoire case study: Regional issues and
emerging lessons
Donata Gnisci
Marie Trémolières
Karim Hussein
Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat, Paris
March 2003
DRAFT OUTLINE
It is vitally important to deepen understanding among actors of flows of refugees and
displaced persons in relation to conflict dynamics in West Africa and their operational
implications. The issue has become even more urgent in the light of the evolution of the crisis
in Côte d’Ivoire. Hence this paper is being drafted as one of the initial outputs of the Club
Secretariat’s work programme on conflict and stability in West Africa in 2003. The paper also
aims to contribute to the Club’s wider objective of developing a comprehensive understanding
of population movements and their implications for regional stability and development from a
political, economic and spatial perspective.
The paper will analyse the role of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDP) in violent
conflict in West Africa with a view to understanding its impact on existing and future conflicts
in the region. It provides evidence on the importance of involuntary internal and cross-border
population flows as triggers or immediate causes of conflict and instability at the national
level. The evidence also suggests that such population flows are among the key structural
causes of conflict at the regional level.
This study draws from the conceptual framework of the Club research-action programme on
violent conflict and structural stability and currently being circulated for comment. It attempts
to develop further the observation we make on spatial instability and social and human
development. This maintains that conflict will continue to be spatially concentrated in West
Africa having a dramatic effect on living standards and prospects in the key flashpoints of the
region. In this context, the issue of involuntary population flows is strategic to understanding
the political economy and geography of conflict and predicting how this will evolve in the
medium term. The paper will summarise available recent data on forced displacement and
outline operational conclusions for key actors in the region and the broader work of the
Secretariat.
The paper will address four issues. Firstly, background on refugees and IDPs. We introduce
the international regime for refugee and IDP protection by describing the principal
organisations working on these issues and their policies; we define the focus of the analysis
and provide a more specific definition of refugees and IDP, which is more suitable to the
West African context. Secondly, we examine key refugee and IDP populations in the region
over the last decade, focusing in particular on Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea: the main
centres of forced displacement in the region in recent years. We describe figures, nature and
directions of flows and trends at both the national and the regional levels. Specifically, we
assess the extent to which refugee populations are integrated into host societies and what
positive or negative impacts this has on socio-economic systems (i.e., stimulating the local
economy in the host communities and around camps, exchange of know-how, diversifying
professional skills available, etc. vs. excessive pressure on resources, land degradation, loss
of productivity, inter-community clashes).
Thirdly, we present a case study on Côte d'Ivoire. This provides information on the context of
the current crisis (i.e., underlying factors, main facts and possible implications for civilian
populations) and outlines the refugee situation in Côte d'Ivoire before September 19.
Specifically, we examine the way that Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugees had settled down
in this country and the likely political and military interests some of them may have in the
conflict. Then, we analyse the role and reaction of refugees and IDPs to the crisis with a view
to understanding how their responses might effect neighbouring countries such as Ghana,
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Liberia.
Finally, we draw some conclusions from both the general overview and the specific case of
Côte d'Ivoire on the perspectives and consequences of IDP and refugee movements in the
region in the context of the current crises. Here our focus will be on: the regional economy;
social impacts; natural resources and; agriculture; and implications for development cooperation policies. This will result in a number of operational lessons. A series of priority
areas for further analysis and reflection among the Working Group on conflict are also
highlighted.
The draft paper will be ready for comment by end May 2003
Contact: Donata Gnisci ([email protected]) or Marie Tremolières
([email protected])