ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — As bulldozers swept through her neighborhood in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's booming economic capital, Mrs. Touré scrambled to gather what she could. Her three children joined her, filling her plastic bags with her clothes and whatever else they could get their hands on, and her home was reduced to rubble as armed security forces looked on.
Touré's house was one of hundreds destroyed in a wave of demolition in February that targeted undeveloped areas of Abidjan.
The government cited public health concerns as impoverished areas built along lagoons in this port city of 6.3 million people on West Africa's southern coast suffer from deadly flooding during the rainy season. . More than 300 people have died since 2005, and authorities say the deluge has become a breeding ground for waterborne and other illnesses.
“My children and I are sleeping in the sun now. We don't know where to go,” said Touré, 50.
Demolition of low-income neighborhoods is nothing new in Abidjan, where rapid urbanization has caused a population boom and housing shortage, with nearly one in five Ivorians living in the city. This is a challenge in many parts of Africa, where economic hardship is driving more people into cities in search of better opportunities, straining already overstretched infrastructure.
But Abidjan's recent demolition (mainly taking place in the poor suburbs of Jesko and Sebroko districts) is one of the largest in years, with an estimated hundreds of thousands of people being demolished since it began in late January. Residents were affected. Evicted families and rights groups say they are being evicted without prior notice or compensation.
Analysts say many African governments are struggling to cope with urban population explosion and meet growing infrastructure demands. Chaimezee Anajama, a policy researcher and founder of the nonprofit group Blooming Social Pen, says few governments have been able to solve development problems.
“We need strong commitment from African governments to come up with creative solutions to address the infrastructure deficit in African cities,” Anajama said.
Local authorities have defended the demolition, saying they are beginning to relocate homeless families to safer areas.
Approximately 35% of Ivorians are poor. Water scarcity is a daily problem, and many people are forced to fetch water from rivers for their daily necessities. The country has also had to contend with other challenges, including jihadi attacks that have spread to coastal countries in West Africa, including Ivory Coast.
“The aim is to provide these people with a decent living environment,” Amadou Coulibaly, Ivory Coast's communications minister, said of the vandalism. In February, he claimed that some of the people evicted in areas like Boribana were being resettled in at least 1,000 housing units built by the government.
However, many families remain homeless and stranded in multiple areas of the city.
The Ivorian Human Rights Federation said in a statement that the demolition was “carried out in a brutal manner and has dire consequences for many already vulnerable families.” They called on authorities to halt the campaign.
Among the victims of the demolition were about 2,000 schoolchildren from Chaeleine University in the Yopougon district, which was reduced to rubble in February.
The school's founder, Severin Okpo Abe, said he had not been informed by either Ivory Coast's Ministry of Construction or the Ministry of National Education that the school would be demolished. The children eventually enrolled in other nearby schools.
Most of the displaced residents who are not camping have moved to other parts of Ivory Coast or are squatting with residents from other regions.
“We have been made homeless in our own country,” said Amy Ouedraogo, spokesperson for women affected by forced evictions.
Evictions have separated families and scattered homeless people across the city, she added. “We no longer have a home, no family, no children next door.”
Amid anger and protests from the evicted people, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara called on local authorities in Abidjan to “show solidarity… to maintain unity and social peace.”
But city officials say the demolition is part of a broader project to provide basic amenities and rebuild the area. They say the land will be leased to the evicted for about $16 a month for up to 25 years.
On April 8, the government announced that it would begin compensating affected households, providing each household with approximately $405 in relocation assistance. In a country where the minimum wage is about $121 a month, some believe it's not enough to cover rising housing costs.
Belmond Dogo, the minister in charge of poverty alleviation efforts, said: “All displaced persons will receive the support they need to resettle.”
The city of Yopougon, which has a predominantly working-class population, also announced plans to help victims.
But many like Toure said they were overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness as they watched bulldozers rampage through their neighborhoods.
“I don't have anyone in Abidjan and I don't have money to buy a house,” said the mother of three, who is unsure what will happen next. “Can not do that.”
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Associated Press writer Chinedu Asadu in Abuja, Nigeria, contributed to this report.
___ The Associated Press receives funding for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust. AP is solely responsible for all content. Learn about AP's standards for working with philanthropy, a list of supporters, and funded areas at AP.org.
