U.S. pledges $8.5 million for Côte d'Ivoire humanitarian response

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U.S. pledges $8.5 million for Côte d'Ivoire humanitarian response

2011-05-06 02:44:20 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- The United States on Thursday pledged an additional $8.5 million for assisting hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Côte d'Ivoire.

The contributions will include $6.5 million in support for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and $2 million for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The $8.5 million aid will be used to provide humanitarian assistance to Ivoirians, including health care and essential household items, construction and maintenance of camps, increasing access to clean water, and restoring family links severed as a result of displacement.

The U.S. State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, previously provided $12.6 million for humanitarian response in the North African country.

In addition, the U.S. Agency for International Development also provided around $22 million in funding and food aid to non-governmental organizations and UN agencies in Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire.

With Thursday's funding, the United States will have provided $43 million in humanitarian assistance to refugees, IDPs, and other conflict-affected populations in the region.

In mid-April, the European Commission granted an additional $42.89 million (€30 million), bringing its total allocation to $85.78 million (€60 million) for humanitarian aid in Côte d'Ivoire.

Côte d'Ivoire was in turmoil since early December when former President Gbagbo, who was defeated in the November run-off elections by opposition candidate Ouattara, refused to step down despite the approval from the UN and the international community.

As many as 1 million people fled the country and hundreds were killed due to the violence between both sides. UN officials warned that ethnic tensions stemming from national, racial and religious affiliation linked to the opposing camps could lead to genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

The 2010 presidential elections were meant to be the culminating point in reunifying a country split by civil war in 2002 into a Government-controlled south and a rebel-held north. With the aid of the UN peacekeepers, Ouattara's forces were able to capture Gbagbo on April 11.

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