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Ferry tale comes true for Liberians returning to Maryland county
10 Mar 2005 Two years after it was damaged in the Ivorian conflict, a ferry linking southern Côte d'Ivoire and south-eastern Liberia has been repaired and successfully tested as Liberian refugees gear up to repatriate to Maryland county in April. -
Japan donates $3m to UNHCR's peace-building efforts in Liberia
9 Mar 2005 The funds will go towards community empowerment projects, shelter and agricultural interventions, and emergency rehabilitation efforts. These are all part of UNHCR's peace-building project to promote peaceful co-existence in areas of return. -
International Women's Day: 'Sweeping' changes in Côte d'Ivoire
8 Mar 2005 Celebrations in the refugee-hosting area of Guiglo in western Côte d'Ivoire saw men trading traditional roles with women. The men - refugees, local authorities and UNHCR staff - swept the city and held a cooking contest while the women played handball. -
Tensions in Côte d'Ivoire affect UNHCR refugee registration
3 Mar 2005 Refugees are expressing security fears and the U.N. refugee agency is temporarily limiting staff movements in western and northern Côte d'Ivoire following clashes earlier this week between pro-government militias and rebels near the western town of Man. -
Most of Liberia now declared safe for return
28 Feb 2005 In Liberia, 14 out of a total of 15 counties have now been declared safe for the return of refugees and IDPs. On Monday, Sinoe County got the green light for returns, leaving just Grand Kru County waiting for the safe declaration. Across Liberia, refugees are taking the opportunity to return home, sometimes to surprise welcomes. -
Feature: Congolese refugee in Monrovia turns drawback into an asset
18 Feb 2005 Life seemed a constant struggle when Congolese refugee Charlotte Ngunu first arrived six years ago in Liberia after fleeing a rebellion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There was, among others, a language barrier as a French speaker in an English-speaking environment. With help from UNHCR, drawbacks became strengths, and she is now a successful business woman. -
UNHCR assists first refugees home to Liberia's Lofa county
15 Feb 2005 The first convoy of 140 Liberian refugees have returned from Guinea to the northern Liberian county that was hardest-hit by 14 years of civil war and saw the largest-scale displacement. This represents a vote of confidence in the country's peace process, says the UN refugee agency. -
Liberian refugees expected to flock home to Lofa county
10 Feb 2005 UNHCR is starting repatriation from Guinea to Liberia's Lofa county, the largest area of return for Liberian refugees in the region. The agency is also working to repatriate Liberians to Maryland county, bordering Côte d'Ivoire. Both counties are among 13 cleared for returns by the Liberian government. -
Lubbers ends West African trip in Côte d'Ivoire
7 Feb 2005 UN refugee agency chief Ruud Lubbers has called for a regional approach to disarmament in order to firmly stabilize the situation in Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, thereby allowing refugees to return in safety and dignity.