Agencies providing aid to populations affected by conflict in Côte d'Ivoire - UN

Aid agencies are making all efforts to assist internally displaced people, refugees and other affected populations in various parts of Côte d'Ivoire and region, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.

Some 300,000 people, half the population of Bouaké, have fled, seeking refuge in towns and villages to the north and the south of that city. Within the city, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the National Red Cross, the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Health Organization (WHO), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are providing food, non-food items, medical and other supplies, as well as essential services such as water and sanitation.

Meanwhile, local authorities, the Catholic Church, national and international NGOs, host families, and UN agencies have provided assistance to thousands in cities along the frontline, including the capital, Yamoussoukro.

In Abidjan, shantytown residents continue to lose their homes due to a security mop-up operation. Host families, religious groups, the government, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are sheltering some of the affected.

"A significant number of those displaced since 19 September may have already left Côte d'Ivoire through neighbouring countries, particularly Ghana and Burkina Faso," OCHA reported, noting that efforts are being made to determine the total outflow of people from the country.