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SITUATION
On the morning of Monday the 2 November 2020, the region of four border Counties of Liberia and Ivory Coast, were occupied by thousands of Ivorians refugees near the borders with Côte d’Ivoire due to political clashes between opposition and pro-government supporters in Côte d’Ivoire’s (CDI) Central and West-Central regionsfollowing continued disputed 2010 presidential elections differences. Despite the political crisis now being over, there continues to be a significant movement of refugees across the Ivorian border into Liberia. With continued instability in areas of CDI, it is highly probable that many refugees will remain in Liberia for the near future, until it is safe for them to return home. Current tensions in Cote d’Ivoire are triggering fears among Ivorians reminiscent of the country’s 2011 presidential election, which claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people, forced over 300,000 to flee across the region, and displaced more than one million inside the country. About 15,085 Ivorians have found refuge in Liberia according to UNHCR and Liberia Refugees Repatriation and Resettlement Commission since the crisis started in Côte d’Ivoire. Over 60 per cent of the arrivals are children, some of whom arrived unaccompanied or separated from their parents. Older people and pregnant women have also fled, most carrying just a few belongings and little or no food or money. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) airlifted 95 tons of emergency supplies of food and non-food items to the over 15,000 refugees since the beginning of the crisis. The African Initiative for Development (AIRD) and CARITAS are presently working with the refugees. The UN refugee agency said it was "ramping up its support fearing that continuing violence will force more people out of the country (Info Migrants, 2020).