Liberians return from Côte d'Ivoire, fearing political uncertainty there - UN

Thousands of Liberian refugees from the war in their own country, fearing political uncertainty in neighbouring Côte d'Ivoire, have begun drifting back into the relatively peaceful eastern region of Liberia, the UN refugee agency reported today.

An inter-agency mission reported after a four-day visit to the Zwedru area that small groups of returnees carrying belongings were on the road from Côte d'Ivoire and around 3,000 to 4,000 returnees were reported to be in Zwedru, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The returnees said they were from the same tribe as the rebels of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) who controlled the area. They added that they felt no longer welcome in Côte d'Ivoire and feared political instability in the country following a failed coup a year ago.

Overall, UNHCR said it was optimistic about the situation in Liberia, describing it as "promising but fragile" after 12 years of continual civil strife, and it expected the situation to improve further once 15,000 UN peacekeepers begin deploying in mid-October, replacing the 3,500-strong West African force sent last month after a peace accord was signed between government and rebel forces.

Meanwhile, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) today urged Liberians to fully support the campaign to return children to school as soon as possible. UNICEF is in the middle of a rapid assessment campaign of schools and other locations used for teaching children, the vast majority of which need rehabilitation or reconstruction. The agency said it hopes that the return to school will be possible around 20 October.