Cote d’Ivoire’s Minister for Solidarity, Social Cohesion and Compensation of Victims Kone Mariatou, on Tuesday urged Cote d’Ivoire nationals living in exile to return to the country since peace had been restored.
“We urge our brothers and sisters who are living in sub-regional countries to return to the country.
“Peace has been restored and the country is waiting for them,’’ Mariatou said during celebrations to mark the World Refugee Day in Abidjan.
Close to 250,000 Cote d’Ivoire nationals fled the country at the height of the 2010 to 2011 post-election violence that left no fewer than 3,000 people dead.
According to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), no fewer than 50,000 Cote d’Ivoire nationals are still living in neighbouring countries, especially Liberia, Ghana and Togo.
Mariatou said that the most important thing was to repatriate the refugees in dignity.
In April, Mariatou visited Liberia and Ghana with an objective of obtaining voluntary repatriation of thousands of Cote d’Ivoire refugees who had been living in these neighbouring countries since the 2010 post-election crisis.
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