The Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC) has started issuing residence permits to former Ivorian refugees as part of a comprehensive government initiative to support local integration following the departure of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) from Liberia.
This announcement was made by LRRRC Officer-in-Charge Jackson Paye during a five-day assessment mission in southeastern Liberia, where he visited communities hosting refugees in Grand Gedeh and Maryland counties. Paye stated that the initiative, conducted in collaboration with the Liberia Immigration Service and the National Identification Registry, aims to regularize the status of refugees who remained in the country after fleeing conflict in neighboring Côte d’Ivoire.
“The process has already started in Monrovia, and we are now expanding to Grand Gedeh and Maryland,” Paye said during a stop at the PTP Refugee Settlement in Zwedru. “This is part of a broader effort to ensure that former refugees can live with dignity, access services, and contribute to the economy.”
Paye’s visit was part of an ongoing nationwide campaign to implement Executive Order No. 144, signed by President Joseph Boakai on February 24. This order simplifies legal procedures for former refugees while enhancing their access to essential services, including healthcare, housing, and official documentation.
During town hall meetings in Zwedru and Little Welbo in Maryland County, Paye pledged renewed support for sustainable livelihoods, particularly in agriculture. He stated that the LRRRC would take over from UNHCR in facilitating farming projects on available land within former refugee settlements.
“We are focused on empowering these communities through agriculture,” he emphasized. “Our goal is self-reliance and long-term integration.”
Paye also issued a warning to individuals reportedly returning to Côte d’Ivoire to incite unrest, then seeking reentry into Liberia under the guise of refugee status. “Please don’t go back to Côte d’Ivoire to create confusion and then run back to Liberia for protection,” he cautioned, urging former refugees to remain law-abiding and concentrated on rebuilding their lives.
The LRRRC chief praised local authorities for their cooperation and reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to upholding international conventions on refugee protection. He noted that, as a signatory to major global and regional protocols, Liberia is obligated to safeguard the rights of all individuals residing within its borders.
The southeast region continues to host hundreds of former Ivorian refugees, many of whom have lived in Liberia for over a decade. With the end of UNHCR’s formal operations, the Boakai administration has committed to maintaining momentum in local integration efforts and refugee protection programs
