Civilians return home in Western Cote d'Ivoire

Hundreds of people who fled fighting in western Cote d'Ivoire since September 2002, have begun to emerge from bushes where they had been living and return to their homes, following President Laurent Gbagbo's declaration on 4 July that the Ivorian civil war was officially over. French military officials monitoring a January ceasefire between the Ivorian government and rebels who have since joined a government of national unity, told IRIN that hundreds of returnees had moved into several villages near the Liberian border. Relief workers in western Cote d'Ivoire said they were bracing for the returnees. Most of the children and women showed signs of malnutrition, having spent days without proper meals and unable to grow any food, the relief workers added. UN World Food Programme (WFP) officials in the western town of Man told IRIN on Thursday that they planned to distribute 300 tons of food mainly to the new returnees in the nearby town of Danane, Zouan-Hien and Bin-Houye, by the weekend. Each person would receive at least 7.2 kg of food. During the month of July, WFP plans to distribute about 1,335 tons of food, including rice, salt, palm oil and soy bean, the head of its office in Man, Tbane Laconga, said. Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF), which has been treating 500 children in therapeutic feeding centers and Action Contre la Faim (ACF), who recently moved to the area and set up five nutritional centers, expect to treat more cases in the upcoming weeks. ACF has recorded numerous cases of moderate and severe malnutrition cases and its Food Security Specialist, Ondine Ripka, estimated that it would be six months before agencies could begin to see a reverse of the present situation. Lack of portable water and other health problems especially malaria and skin diseases linked to vital food deficiencies, had also become serious problems, the aid workers added. In a statement on Thursday, MSF described the situation as "an unfolding health crisis" and urged national and international actors to focus on the plight of the returning populations. "At a time when the population is becoming more vulnerable, food is scarce and there is no functioning healthcare system in what has been called "the Wild West", it said. "MSF fears a rise in malnutrition, disastrous morbidity and mortality rates and urges those responsible to quickly address the food and health needs of the civilian population," the statement said. Cote d'Ivoire plunged into a civil following a failed coup attempt on 19 September 2002. Rebels took control of the western areas until a ceasefire agreement was signed in France in January, after which the rebels joined government.