The Netherlands is donating 2 million euros to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in response to a UN appeal for emergency aid. This will provide people who have fled the violence in Côte d'Ivoire with accommodation and basic needs such as clean drinking water, food and sanitation.
The humanitarian situation in Côte d'Ivoire remains cause for concern. There are currently an estimated 200,000 displaced persons in the west of the country in urgent need of emergency aid. They are also in a very unsafe situation because of the risk of ethnic violence. UNHCR is stepping up its capacity in the area to help them.
In total, about a million people have fled the violence in Côte d'Ivoire. Most of them are still in the country, while some 165,000 have fled to neighbouring countries.
Earlier this year the Netherlands donated 1 million euros to UNICEF in Liberia for the accommodation of refugees from Côte d'Ivoire, and 300,000 euros to the International Red Cross (IFRC) for medical care in the region.