In 2006, the Danish Refugee Council expanded its West Africa operation to include the Guinée Foréstière region in Guinea, which borders Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast.
The programme focuses on return and re-integration of refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and ex-combatants as well as general recovery in the region, discovering durable solutions to war-related problems.
Our work in Guinea targets Liberian refugees wishing to integrate locally in Guinée Foréstière, 3,000 Ivorian refugees living in the region and 19,000 internally displaced Guineans.
Activities include construction and improvements to small-scale infrastructure, such as clinics, markets, roads and bridges; improving income generation skills; working with farmers to rehabilitate and improve agriculture; providing training on human rights; and managing a logistics base for UNHCR. As of January 2010, our sole donor in Guinée Foréstière is Danida.
Theatre of displacement
Over a twenty-year period, conflicts in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast have resulted in large flows of refugees into Guinée Foréstière, exacerbating political instability and adding to the pressure created by IDP movements due to domestic problems.
Although the majority of refugees and IDPs have returned by now, the size and duration of these forced displacements contributed to infrastructure damage and food insecurity throughout the region.
In addition to the difficulties of hosting large numbers of displaced people, Guinée Foréstière has suffered from a lack of investment by the Guinean government.
The security situation remains poor due to the presence of many regional militias, including Guinean rebels, members of former Liberian militias and Ivorian soldiers.
The military coup in December 2008 following the death of President Lansana Conté attracted international condemnation, while the ruling junta has the support of many Guineans, especially the youth, who see the junta as eradicating the corruption of the former regime.
Although changes are afoot under the junta, which has announced its intention to hold democratic elections later in 2009, the area remains impoverished, with limited access to farming land, employment and social services, and more than half of households are food insecure or highly vulnerable to food insecurity.
