Fewer Bangui Displaced Plan to Return Home: IOM CAR Return Intention Survey

GENEVA, Switzerland, May 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- IOM's 4th return intention survey of camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Bangui in the Central African Republic shows that the number of people considering return to their places of origin over the next month has dropped from 74 per cent in January to 57 per cent in April.

Of the 160,000 IDPs who currently occupy 43 sites in the capital Bangui, approximately 84 per cent left their homes when armed groups clashed in Bangui in December 2013.

According to the IDPs, factors preventing their return include: belongings being stolen (80 per cent), lack of financial means (68 per cent), not feeling secure in their neighbourhood (64 per cent), and lack of security forces in their neighbourhood (61 per cent.)

Results of the survey, which took place from 21-24 April, showed that many people lack funds to repair their homes, as 94 per cent of people surveyed experienced an interruption of their work due to displacement.

Priority needs among IDPs include housing (31.5 per cent), security (26.5 per cent) and non-food relief items (11.1 per cent). Almost all respondents (97 per cent) are eating less and dipping into depleted savings to feed themselves and their families.

The total number of IDPs in Bangui has decreased from a high of more than 512,000 at the end of December, but populations at certain IDP sites surge whenever there is an outbreak of violence.

IOM conducts the return intention surveys on a monthly basis. Interviews are carried out by IOM site facilitators, a team of 40 staff who regularly visit all displacement sites in Bangui to collect information on humanitarian needs. This data collection is part of IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) and the data is analyzed and shared with partners to guide humanitarian response.

IOM's site facilitators program is now being expanded to Boda, Kabo and Moyen-Sido - cities also experiencing significant displacement and pressing humanitarian needs. There are more than 35,000 IDPs in Boda divided along religious lines. There are an estimated 584,900 IDPs in the whole of CAR.

IOM continues to assist displaced communities in CAR with displacement tracking, distribution of non-food relief items, community stabilization and camp management.

To access the 4th IDP Return Intention Survey in Bangui, please go to: http://carresponse.iom.int/