Gabon is in the African context a wealthy country due to its oil resources. It attracts immigrants from Western and Central Africa. It is interesting to note that most of the taxi drivers in the capital Libreville are migrant workers. Gabon has a small population of 1.4 million out of which approximately 750.000 live in Libreville and its surroundings.

Gabon's refugee population is made up of approx. 24 different nationalities, the majority of whom come from the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), who fled the civil war between 1997 and 1999. Almost all refugees live in Libreville. Some, for example the Equatorial Guineans, have been there for two decades or more without being able to return home nor able to build up a decent life in the host country. For instance, refugees in Gabon do not receive work permits and, in the absence of these, have a very hard time to make a living and partake in society despite the fact that many are relatively highly educated.

There is an expression used to describe the attitude of Gabonese towards foreigners: "Gabon d´abord!" or "Gabon first!". Since the government of Gabon examines asylum applications and grants refugee status, refugees are only issued a certificate confirming their refugee status, they are not given proper identity documents. Refugees and asylum seekers regularly face police controls and harassment as well as money extortion if they do not carry valid identity documents.

Resettlement work at the UNHCR office in Libreville

My assignment was to identify and interview refugees who were in need of resettlement. The office of the UNHCR in Libreville was located close to the city centre and therefore easily reachable. The city itself, is a peaceful, medium size African town with a small but picturesque centre. The proximity of the Atlantic Ocean offers some relief from the equatorial heat and humidity and also adds to the charm of Libreville. Local people are attractive to the eye with their colourful and imaginative clothing. Nice cafés and shops can be found along the main street which passes by the Friday Mosque reminding that Gabon has also a large number of Muslims even though Christianity is the main religion.

The UNHCR office was made up of about 20 staff at that time I arrived it was surrounded by high walls and the entrance controlled by guards. The situation was threatening -I did experience a few demonstrations in front of the office though- but the gates were crowded with refugees wanting to hand over requests, receive certain documents or ask questions, a situation which needed to be managed.

I had an office of my own: fully furnished and with the necessary technical equipment; a computer, telephone and direct access to the Internet, which was of great help in finding legal and country information for the cases I worked on. The office of my supervisor, Ms. Peggy Pentshi-a-Maneng was just across the corridor and our working relationship was easy and very informal.

I worked mainly in Libreville but also spent three weeks on mission in Franceville and Tchibanga, two small towns in the Gabonese countryside. These field trips were a good opportunity to widen my understanding of the Gabonese refugee situation and to pick up some 'couleur local'. The beauty of the Gabonese countryside was really overwhelming with lush vegetation and the mountains rolling calmly towards the Congolese border.

My work required thorough interviews with refugees on a case-by-case basis, which was very time consuming. The most meaningful part of the resettlement procedure for me was the part in which one establishes the refugee status of the applicant. This was indeed needed as most of the applicants had been recognised prima facie refugees. After cases were completed, they were sent to the regional UNHCR office in Ghana where they were referred to resettlement countries for a decision.

Ms Marie Loubaky*: a Woman-at-Risk (WAR)

When Marie Loubaky walked into my office, I saw an elegant and dignified lady dressed in western clothes with an African twist of bright and beautiful colours. You could tell that she was a sophisticated and well-educated woman. However, her eyes revealed that she had endured a lot of hardship and suffering in her life.

Marie Loubaky was a single mother with six children when she escaped the Congolese civil war in 1997. She had worked as a journalist in Brazzaville and was a well-known figure in Congo. Through her work she had met and was acquainted with several high-ranked members of the former Pascal Lissouba regime. Due to her public work in the media she had made many contacts in the administration but was also thought to be a supporter of the Lissouba administration.

When the civil war broke out in the Congolese capital Brazzaville she, as a public figure, was in imminent danger of persecution by the supporters and soldiers of the opponents of president Lissouba. She had to flee the fierce fighting in Brazzaville with her children using the same escape route as most Congolese refugees, through the northern rainforests to Gabon. In Gabon she was recognised as a prima facie refugee.

Ms. Loubaky subsequently settled in Libreville with her family. As a single mother she was the sole breadwinner in the family. She managed to get occasional work as a freelance journalist. However, the income was irregular and making both ends meet was a daily struggle.

The Congolese community in Gabon was concerned about the quality of their protection. Relations between the two governments were cordial. The president of Gabon is married to the daughter of Congolese president Denis Sassou-Nguesso who ousted the former president Pascal Lissouba. As most Congolese refugees in Gabon were supporters of Lissouba they felt that the Gabonese authorities were cooperating with Brazzaville and feared that they would be forcibly returned to Congo. This possibility was, in fact, expressed by the Gabonese Minister of the Interior in 2001.

Ms. Loubaky experienced many difficulties since she became a refugee. She no longer had a permanent job with a steady income to support her family. She and her family had lost their former high social standing and, as Congolese refugees, became a marginalised and discriminated part of Gabonese society. As a refugee she was subjected to verbal abuse and sexual insinuations from the Gabonese police. Marie was used to take care of her children by herself but, as a refugee, the absence of a spouse made her and her family even more vulnerable to physical and mental abuse.

Moreover, her affiliation with the former government of Congo-Brazzaville and her work as a journalist put her at risk politically in Gabon. As such, around the time of the Gabonese presidential elections of autumn 2005, Marie's situation became extremely precarious. The unease and the fear for forcible removals increased among the Congolese refugee community and Ms. Loubaky felt threatened. It was clear that Marie's safety could no longer be guaranteed and that she needed to leave Gabon for a safe country of asylum.

Since Marie's case as a Woman-at-Risk was classified 'urgent', her file was sent directly to UNHCR headquarters in Geneva to be forwarded to one of the resettlement countries. Emergency Cases are submitted on the basis of a file to resettlement countries, contrary to cases that are selected by resettlement countries during the so called 'selection missions'. It was Norway that accepted her case and within three weeks from the submission of her resettlement application, Marie and her six children left Gabon for Norway in 2005, after my departure from Libreville. Unfortunately I do not know how she and her children are doing now; what I do know is that in Norway she can have a safer life, with proper papers and care, without fear of harassment and persecution.

The need of resettlement as experienced during my deployment

Marie was of course not the only refugee woman and not the only refugee I met in the course of my work. Not all were, however, as lucky as Marie to be referred for resettlement and to be accepted. After a first interview, some refugees were retained and called for a second interview in order to fill out a resettlement application. However, others were found not to be in need because their cases did not meet the UNHCR resettlement criteria. Other refugees had their files referred to resettlement countries but were refused as the respective resettlement countries did not agree with the need for resettlement of these cases or did not consider the cases met the refugee criteria.

It was my task as well to inform these refugees about these negative decisions and that was the hardest and most unpleasant part of my work. But, of course, it is much harder to be a refugee especially if you are deprived of the opportunity to start a new and decent life in exile.

Uncertainty and lack of future prospects is certainly one of the most painful things in the life of a refugee. Even if one has given up hope for oneself, all refugees with families shared the same anxiety: what will happen to my children in the future. It is hard enough to be uprooted from one's familiar surroundings and become a refugee. Living in limbo indefinitely is difficult to accept. A durable solution must be sought for all refugees to guarantee a dignified and decent life. Resettlement can be such a solution.

During my short stay in Gabon I gained valuable experience on what the potential of resettlement as a durable solution. I experienced in practice the hard reality that resettlement is often the only option. In this situation, solidarity and compassion from resettlement countries is necessary and vitally important for the millions of refugees in need. My home country, Finland, receives each year a number of refugees which are resettled. Nowadays more European countries are considering offering resettlement. Many women, as Marie, are waiting for this opportunity. Let's hope that the long wait of many for a new life is not in vain….

* A ficticious name was used to protect the identity of the refugee in question

Sari Sirva, a Finnish national, worked as an ICMC deployee in the UNHCR office in Libreville, capital of the Central African Republic of Gabon from August until December 2004.