Over the past 16 years, spillover conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast have resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and uprooted millions of people across West Africa.

Although the fighting has eased and there is now an atmosphere of hope – particularly in newly democratic Liberia, which recently elected Africa’s first female head of state – the security situation remains fragile.

West Africa has been one of the world’s worst hot spots for the horrific practice of recruitment of children as soldiers. More than 8,000 children are still on the frontlines. The region’s drawn-out conflicts have kept most children out of school but now efforts directed at educating West Africa’s future leaders present a real opportunity for hope.

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• Sexual violence, child abuse, child trafficking and forced prostitution were common during the conflicts.  Find out what the International Rescue Committee has been doing to help.
• Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Guinea, which has been plagued by instability, remain among the world’s 20 most fragile countries. Learn more about the political situation in West Africa. [PDF]

Find out ways YOU can help raise awareness of humanitarian issues and support the IRC’s work.

For more information contact Shannon Meehan (shannon.meehan@theIRC.org) in Washington, DC or Gerald Martone (gerald.martone@theIRC.org) in New York. 

Last Updated May 2006