workers from other countries, including migrants from the semi-desert called sahel in mali and burkina fasopresence of... of foreigners in côte d'ivoire is important. it's been estimated that they comprise 40% of the population. narrator: together with unemployed ivorians, many foreigners ended up in shantytowns, like this one near abidjan, called washington. ( man speaking french ) translator: first of all, it was foreigners, the burkinabes and the malians who were even more numerous. then, in the '80s, with the crisis, e population of this area swelled with people om all or e ivory coitself. at the moment,ere are peopleomg om all or e ivory coitself. from all over the ivory coast. you can find baules, agnis, dyulas and maukas from the north. narrator: but the northern migrants bring more than just their ethnic diversity into this diminished economy. bassett: they've changed the religious composition of the country. eighty percent, it's estimated, of immigrants are... are muslim. so currently, the population of côte d'ivoire is about 37%, 38% muslim, and a good percentage of that is foreig