10,000 Liberians flee to Côte d’Ivoire fearing rebel attack – UN refugee agency

In the continuing ebb and flow of refugees uprooted by the civil wars in West Africa, more than 10,000 refugees, primarily Liberians, fled from southern Liberia into neighbouring Côte d'Ivoire over the past 72 hours in fear of rebel attacks, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported today.

UNHCR called on the rebels to protect the civilian population, including the large number of refugees and third-country nationals who had previously found refuge in Liberia after fleeing in the opposite direction from the fighting in Côte d'Ivoire.

According to sketchy reports, the agency said the recently formed Liberian rebel movement, MODEL (Movement for Democracy in Liberia), captured Harper, the main town in Liberia's southeastern Maryland County on Monday.

Hundreds of civilians began fleeing southern Liberia late last week after reports of the alleged torture by unknown attackers of an official in River Gee County, which neighbours Maryland County. Over the weekend, UNHCR's office in Tabou, Côte d'Ivoire, received reports of increasing numbers of arrivals around Prollo, Pato Ide and other border crossing points.

UNHCR teams sent to the border found many frightened civilians who had fled Liberia in a hurry. They said they left after hearing rumours that the rebels were approaching, but none had seen any fighting, however. They crossed the Cavally River into Côte d'Ivoire by boat.

Border monitors also reported that gunfire was heard overnight Sunday and Monday morning on the Liberian side of the border, near the town of Pleebo. UNHCR and its partners are monitoring the border and providing transport to some of the new arrivals, about 750 of whom have been taken to a transit centre in Tabou. But most of the estimated 10,000 new arrivals are staying in surrounding villages.

The new refugee influx into Côte d'Ivoire occurred as High Commissioner Ruud Lubbers was concluding an eight-day, five-nation tour of West Africa. He returned to Geneva yesterday.