Burkina Faso

Historias reales

The flight of Burkinabes from Côte d'Ivoire

© UNICEF/Burkina Faso/Kent Page

By Kent Page

Despite unsafe, uncomfortable conditions, they continue to flee conflict and insecurity en masse. Escaping from the broken lives and destroyed homes in their adopted country, they flee back to their homeland on foot or by the truckload, busload or vanload. "I'd say about 750 Burkinabe cross the border every day", says a Yendere customs police officer. Yendere is a south-western frontier town, on the Burkina-Faso side of the Côte d'Ivoire border. "Here, it looks like Côte d'Ivoire is being drained of its' Burkinabe lifeblood."

Prior to the coup attempt and rebellion in Côte d'Ivoire on 19 Sept 2002, an estimated 2 million Burkinabe provided a large part of the labour force - the blood, sweat and muscles - for Côte d'Ivoire's vast coffee and cocoa plantations. Now, seven months after the rebellion and with continued fighting and insecurity in Côte d'Ivoire, the heavy flow of human traffic continues, their blood and sweat now accompanied by tears of tragedy and upheaval. The daily draining of Burkinabe blood, sweat and tears flows in a one-way direction towards Burkina-Faso: the border was firmly closed in the direction of Côte d'Ivoire seven months ago.

Crammed onto the back of two heavy, 18-wheeler trucks, sitting on their sacks of meagre possessions and exposed to the hot sun, are a tired, thirsty group of 68 migrant Burkinabe plantation workers and their families. Jerry cans, buckets and a few old bikes are strapped to the side of the truck. "We've been on the road for 9 days. We had most of the women and children in the other truck when it overturned a few days ago. Many were injured and one child died", says Niangoloko. "We left Danane with whatever money we could gather and what we could carry . it wasn't much to begin with but then we had to pay for another truck to transport us."

© UNICEF/Burkina Faso/Kent Page

"Our town was attacked too many times by western rebels", continues Niangoloko. "Too many people were killed and it just wasn't safe anymore for Burkinabe. We had to leave behind all that we had built up over the years. The children cry and are still terrified that we will be attacked again. And now we are back in Burkina-Faso. Some of us haven't lived here in over 10 years . we have no jobs and we don't know what to do except to go back to our home villages and try and start our lives over again."

On arrival at the Yendere border post, and at various transit centres, UNICEF Burkina-Faso supports returnees with health, psycho-social and water & sanitation assistance, as well as the free immunisation of children and women against measles, polio, yellow fever, tetanus and meningitis. "The returnees arrive hungry, tired and sad", says a local health worker, as he drops polio vaccine doses into the open mouth of a baby girl, born less than a year ago in Côte d'Ivoire. "They are our people. We welcome them with open arms."

"It's a good bus", says the driver. "I have almost 90 passengers and everyone is happy". But no-one could be happier than the bus driver: a small sign above the driver's seat says 'Maximum 40 Passengers' and maintenance on the bus can't cost much. As I step on board, my foot goes through the floor. "Watch your step!", he says, chuckling. The battered seats are barely held together with large swathes of duct tape, the floor is covered with sacks and garbage, baskets and buckets swing from the torn, collapsing ceiling and down under two of the seats, tucked away on the floor, 4 toddlers lay chattering to each other. One has the feeling that there are more than 90 passengers on board and it's certain that passenger safety (or comfort) doesn't come first. "It's a long trip from Danane", says the bus-driver. "Once we had to stop so a woman could give birth. Lots of blood. None of them ever want to go back to Côte d'Ivoire. Too scared of attacks."

So far, an estimated 1.3 million people have been affected by the Côte d'Ivoire Sub-Regional Crisis, including IDPs, refugees and over 186,000 Burkinabe returnees. And tomorrow, another 750 Burkinabe will flee across the border, leaving behind their homes and all they own, in a desperate bid to restart their lives in peace.