— As GOL Delegation Makes Major Strides in Ghana

IPNEWS: The Government of Liberia delegation headed by the Deputy Minister for Legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cllr. Jeddi Armah, arrived in Accra, Ghana, over the weekend to embark on a mission of pivotal importance.

The delegation commenced with a series of critical meetings aimed at addressing pressing issues affecting the Liberian community and their resettlement.

Subsequently, they met with the Honorable Tetteh K. Padi, Head of the Ghana Refugee Board, to delve into the complexities of the situation.

Furthering their commitment to dialogue and collaboration, the team convened with the leadership of the Liberian Community located at Buduburam, fostering an environment conducive to understanding and cooperation.

A significant development unfolded during the session with the Deputy Minister for Legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cllr. Jeddi Armah, as assurances were provided by the Ghana Refugee Board to halt the impending lawsuit, offering a collective sigh of relief to all parties involved.

Additionally, the team will conduct the distribution of essential support, marking a pivotal step in the ongoing efforts to assist Liberians through this difficult situation.

In a major stride towards resolution, the Refugee Board has initiated a re-settlement process for approximately 261 Liberian nationals to relocate to the Cape Coast region.

April 6, 2024, witnessed the departure of the first group of 50 individuals embarking on their journey to the new settlement, with the remainder scheduled for relocation on Monday.

Looking ahead, the Ghana Refugee Board has pledged comprehensive security for the convoy during the repatriation process, slated to commence on May 1 and conclude by May 20.

The team’s commitment to ensuring the welfare and safety of the resettled community is unwavering.

On February 27, 2024,  February 27,2024, authorities of the Gomoa Fetteh Traditional Council unleashed its unannounced planned to demolish homes of Liberian in the portion of Zone E of the Budumburam camp to make way for what they termed as plans for the development of a market for traders who have been affected by the ongoing expansion works on the Kasoa-Winneba Highway.

The Traditional Authority said the activities of these market women along the stretch are impeding the work of contractors working on the expansion of the highway, and the Buduburam camp is the only option for the construction of the market.

True to the traditional Council threat to demolish several structures at the Liberia Camp, at 5:30A.M., earth moving machines began demolishing.

Some affected residents of Gomoa Buduburam, known as Liberia Camp, came under a heavy demolition raid in the Buduburam Point Hope D/A Basic School community.

The demolished building was used by some of the Liberians for bedrooms after chiefs of Gomoa Fetteh and Buduburam demolished their houses on Tuesday.

Over 2000 Ghanaians and Liberian nationals were affected in the ongoing demolition exercise at Buduburam.

Pupils of Gomoa Buduburam Point Hope Basic School have been asked to go home because all classrooms have been occupied by Liberian nationals.

Some of the affected Liberian nationals stated that there was no option but to occupy the school since the school was built for them by the United Nations.

The affected Liberians said they have been in the Liberia camp for 33 years but the chiefs failed to notify them before demolishing their houses.

Now, the Executive Mansion is reporting that President of the Republic of Liberia, His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., has received reports about the demolition exercise of the former Liberian refugee camp currently taking place in Buduburam, Ghana.

According to a statement by the office of the President, it is the understanding of the President that the current activities taking place are under the auspices of the Gomoa-Fetteh Traditional Council, who are believed to be the owners of the land hosting the Buduburam Camp.

The President has therefore called on the Ghanaian Government, through the Liberian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to intervene to ensure the Liberians living on the camp are safe, protected, and treated humanely.

The President will receive guidance on the matter from the Minister of Foreign Affairs and line agencies as to the next steps to be taken.

The President is meanwhile calling on Liberians affected by the demolition to remain calm as the situation is fully assessed and an amicable solution is sought.

Prior to this statement by the Executive Mansion, the Government of Liberia stated that it is concerned about the current situation facing former Liberian refugees in the Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana.

According to a release dated Wednesday, February 28, 2024, a day following the commencement of the demolition exercise, issued by the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), direct engagement with Liberian in the camp shows the demolition of homes belonging to former Liberian refugees residing in the camp, on the instruction of the Gomoa Chiefs and the Government of Ghana, thus making them homeless.

The release furthered that in 2022, the Gomoa Chiefs complained and threatened the former Liberian refugees with a similar demolition exercise, but an intervention by the Liberian Government and Ghana, comprising the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), and the (LRRRC), profiled the former refugees for their possible repatriation to Liberia, which should have been done in 2023, but the  government under former President George Manneh Weah, did not provide the needed funds for the repatriation exercises.

As a result of the current demolition exercise in Ghana, over 1,600 former Liberian refugees are now sheltering in school buildings and other public facilities, and the situation is causing the Liberian families, especially the women and children, untold embarrassment and hardship.
“The LRRRC is working with various government ministries and the National Legislature to ensure the situation is addressed with an intervention to repatriate Liberians who are currently undergoing such a devastating condition,” the release said.

The government’s concerns grew after it was reported that the Liberian refugee camp in Ghana, known as Buduburam was being finally demolished on February 28, 2024, which also caused serious panic amongst the residents which included Liberians.
The Ghanaians’ action came after series of warnings from its Ghanaian authority for the closure of the camp but what came as a dismay was that the demolition began from the Area A and its surrounding mainly populated by Liberians.

The action has led to the displacement of Liberians, though script off the refugees’ status but they were not naturalized Ghanaian citizens yet after several years of residence in that West African County. It was reported that houses and businesses in the areas were all destroyed due to the demolition exercise but according to the report, the Ghanaian authority had earlier acknowledged Liberians living in Ghana that they were not considered as refugee due to the consisting conduct of peaceful elections in Liberia and that the country is now enjoying peace.

At the same time, many Liberians held the belief that they should be treated as refugee on grounds that they flew from Liberia due to the brutality, political and religious persecution carried out during the civil war. According to some Liberians, they are also afraid to come back because individuals who may have committed heinous crimes are now serving in key positions of government and that these are amongst the many reasons Liberians residing in Ghana believe that their rights as human should be respected and still be seen as refugee.

It can be recalled that after the beginning of the Liberian civil war in 1989, the Ghanaian government established the Buduburam refugee camp in 1990 in response to the arrival of displaced Liberians in the country.
After the final ceasefire agreement of the war in 2003, UNHCR repeatedly urged the repatriation of refugees to Liberia. The pace of repatriation, however, was sluggish among the remaining Liberians in Ghana due to the precarious political and economic environment in Liberia.

Many Liberian refugees in Ghana had been hoping for third-country resettlement but, with peace restored in Liberia, most no longer met the criteria for resettlement. The other remaining ‘traditional’ durable solution – local integration – failed to gain support from either the host government or the Liberian refugees themselves.

The Ghanaian administration viewed local integration as an imposition on the country and did not offer integration as an option to refugees who remained. Local integration was also unpopular with refugees, mainly because of the lack of socio-economic prospects for them in Ghana. Not only did these refugees remain without a durable solution but their living conditions had also become increasingly challenging.

After the 2003 ceasefire, the amount of humanitarian aid was continuously reduced and almost entirely terminated by 2010. In addition, refugees continued to face a number of barriers to engaging in economic activities outside the camp, such as local xenophobia and their own lack of knowledge of local languages. Thus, with the exception of a few recipients of remittances, many Liberians were reduced to bare subsistence inside and around the camp.