100 displaced daily from Bouake, relief workers say

An inter-agency preliminary assessment of the humanitarian situation around the central Ivorian town of Bouake this week, found at least 100 people displaced daily by fighting between government troops and mutinous soldiers. Most of the displaced were women and children. They were arriving on foot to the nearby towns of Sakassou and Didievi, where they were being assisted by Catholic missionaries and other NGOs. Transport was being arranged to take them further south to the capital, Yamoussoukro. As of Wednesday, there were 400 new arrivals in Sakassou and 720 in Didievi, relief workers told IRIN in Yamoussoukro. The displaced were in destitute condition, humanitarian workers on the preliminary assessment told IRIN. Relief workers, they added, were now concerned with ensuring sufficient capacity to address the increasing number of vulnerable IDPs. A two-day full fledged inter-agency humanitarian assessment mission started on Thursday in Yamoussoukro, Bouake and its environs, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported. The mission, led by the OCHA's Regional Support Office for West Africa, included UNICEF, WFP, UNHCR, and WHO. It would determine modalities for immediate delivery of "life-saving assistance particularly in terms of health, food aid, protection and psychological trauma to affected populations," OCHA said in Abidjan. The mission is within the framework of collaboration between the humanitarian community and the government through its Solidarity and Humanitarian Action Committee established to address the humanitarian needs of populations trapped in the conflict, under the Ministry of Health, Solidarity and Social Security. According to OCHA, the Red Cross family and Medecins sans Frontieres were currently the sole providers of basic humanitarian aid to populations in Bouake, mostly in terms of access to health services. Bouake, the country's second largest town, has been the scene of fierce fighting between the Ivorian army and mutinous fighters, especially since Sunday and Monday as the army attempted to flush out the mutineers. There were no reports of fighting on Thursday. Residents however remained gripped by fear. The Ivorian crisis broke out three weeks ago when the government quashed a coup attempt on 19 September. Simultaneous attacks were carried out on Abidjan, Bouake and the northern town of Bouake however the assailants were beaten back in Abidjan. In a briefing on Wednesday, the Ivorian Permanent Representative to the UN, Philippe Djangone-Bi told journalists in New York that the attackers were politically motivated. He said the government was awaiting further action from the contact group of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). However news agencies quoted a rebel commander in Bouake on Thursday as saying that their objective was to force President Laurent Gbagbo to resign and "then we'll organise free and fair elections and leave the scene". Meanwhile Reuters news agency reported on Thursday that at least 4,500 immigrant workers had fled the country's cocoa plantations. Some 2,800 had sought refuge in a catholic mission in Duekoue, 484 km west of Abidjan.