Last stop, Agamè...

2005 ... 2009

A camp of Togolese refugees in Benin

The influx of Togolese refugees in Benin had been following the violence which punctuated the 2005 presidential election in Togo. Some 25,000 Togolese, mostly women and children were then refugees in Benin where they were accommodated in the camps of Comè and Agamè.

Three years ago, violent clashes opposed the Togolese refugees settled in the camp with the locals, relationships deteriorated, as local people felt unfair that therefugees had access to free food, schools and medicines provided by UNHCR and various NGOs, whilst just down the road, they were struggling to earn a living.

As things cooled down in neighbouring Togo, committees of representatives of the civil society and political parties were set up to facilitate the returns of the refugees to their regions of origin and ensure the respect for their rights. To this end, UNHCR deployed additional staff in Aného and Lomé. So some went back…

Gradually, calm returned to the camp too, refugees gained confidence and there have been more spontaneous departures. When NGOs withdrew from the camp, the school closed, food aid has stopped, some refugees left for Cotonou and startd small businesses, some with the support of ALIDé, our local MFI.

But 4 years after the events, there are still over 3,500 Togolese refugeesin Agamè ... Most still living under the same tents they were given by the UNHCR in 2005. Waiting to go home? Nothing is less certain, if they have not yet made it back.

While integration has improved, the Togolese have settled in the nearby town of Lokassa, mixed groups were created, particularly to farm a 3 ha field that borders the camp. Since 2008, children are now attending the local primary schools in the local, only toddlers remain in the camp’s nursery school.

People who still live in the tents (one tent has 6 people or a family) are in extremely precarious conditions, four years of sun and rain have damaged the fabrics, the tents are falling to pieces, some people have built bamboo huts, but there are no solid buildings around.

Food aid was also stopped and is in this context that the UNHCR got in touch with ALIDé, so that with the financial support of the US Embassy, they could grant loans to help refugees develop their own income-generating activities and get out of poverty.

Following a training on microfinance that took place in April, the objective of our May trip was to get the refugees applying to the scheme registered with ALIDé.

The refugees have no papers, but must have their UNHCR registration card to apply for a loan, they are also asked to form groups of 3 people minimum. The program is also opened to refugees who left the camp to settle in the surrounding localities. This time, Edmond, Nicaise and Raoul registered 60 refugees, they will return in the coming month, as the waiting list long…

The groups are called Grace, God bless, Providence, God is Love, Love is God ... They ask for between 50 000 and 100 000 FCFA for a wide variety of activities. Among them, we find seamstresses, market gardeners, hairdressers, petty sellers and also some innovative activities, like this woman who produces enriched porridge, with a flour being currently tested by the Ministry of Health. One man studied computer sciences back in Togo and opened a cybercafé in the nearby village.

These men and women are being denied the status of refugees, the UNHCR has abandoned the management of the camp last year and regularly asks the Beninese authorities to recognize the people staying in the camp... to simply give them the right to seek and find employment. Meanwhile in Agamè, no one stays idle, men work the land, women do petty trading ... and with the help from ALIDé, they should slowly improve their income and living conditions, we hope.