WFP Côte d'Ivoire: Emergency Response, Joint Response Plan 2024 - Asylum seekers and host communities in northern Côte d’Ivoire

Context

Due to the ongoing crisis in the central Sahel region, an increasing number of people have fled conflict and deprivation, particularly from Burkina Faso, to find refuge and safety across the border in northern Côte d'Ivoire. As of 31 December 2024, UNHCR estimates that 70,500 asylum seekers have arrived in Côte d'Ivoire, among which 65,962 have been biometrically registered.

• 54 percent are women and 57 percent are children, including 29,213 school-age children.
• Two transit sites, Timala (Bounkani region) and Niornigué (Bounkani region), set up to accommodate the asylum seekers in June 2023 are already full. As a result, 81 percent of asylum seekers reside within host communities in the Tchologo and Bounkani regions.

As conflict continues in Burkina Faso, the number of arrivals in Côte d'Ivoire continues to increase, with about 25,921 new arrivals reported in 2024. In June 2024, the Government endorsed the Gulf of Guinea Joint Response Plan (WFP, UNHCR, UNICEF and IOM).