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Ghana and Liberia sign
pact on voluntary repatriation of Liberians
Accra, Oct. 28,
Ghanadot/GNA - Ghana and Liberia on Tuesday committed
themselves to continue to support the organised voluntary
repatriation of Liberian refugees from Ghana to Liberia
until March, 31, 2009.
They have also agreed to conduct a verification exercise in
mid-January 2009 to ascertain the number of Liberian
refugees in Ghana, determine those with Ghanaian family
links, update their profile, as well as determine refugees'
intentions to either return to Liberia or remain in Ghana.
These were contained in communiqué signed by the Interior
Ministers of both countries – Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor of Ghana
and Mr Ambulei Johnson Jr. of Liberia.
It was the outcome a Third meeting of the Tripartite
Committee for the voluntary repatriation of Liberian
refugees in Ghana.
The communiqué also recommended that the Tripartite
Committee actively pursued identifying a seaworthy vessel to
use in the addition to already existing modes of transport
refugees' belonging home.
It also recommended that the Liberian Government continued
to make efforts towards creating an enabling environment to
receive returnees, through development initiatives like
poverty reduction strategies.
The Government of Ghana and the UNHCR have also been tasked
to conduct information campaigns to inform the refugees
opting to remain in Ghana of processes and procedures.
The agreement also stipulates that the status of refugees
opting to stay in the country would be in accordance with
national and regional instruments in force in Ghana.
Dr. Addo-Kufuor emphasised that any Liberian who chose to
stay in Ghana was welcome but that they would be relocated
to other parts of the country.
He said that, it was not the intention of government to
"push Liberians out of the country" but rather to pave way
for Buduburam - the refugee camp close to Accra, with its
attendant security implications, to become an ordinary
Ghanaian town.
"Those who stay and settle in other parts of the country
will be treated as first class citizens," he said.
Mr Johnson Jr. thanked the Ghana's government and the UNHCR
for the assistance offered Liberians during and after their
crisis, adding that they were fully committed to ensuring
the return of their people to rebuild their nation.
GNA
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