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No valid reason for Liberian refugees to stay –
Government
Accra, April 1, Ghanadot/GNA – Government
has taken a firm decision that all Liberian refugees in
Ghana should return home, Mr. Kwamena Bartels, Minister of
the Interior said on Tuesday.
He said government had since requested for the invocation of
the Cessation Clause under Articles 1 (4)e of the 1969 OAU
Refugee Convention because the ground on which they remained
in Ghana was no longer valid.
The Minister said this had become necessary as the refugees
themselves had stated that, “they do not want to be
integrated into the Ghanaian society and that they would
resist local integration with all their might”.
Mr Bartels, who was addressing journalists at the
Meet-the-Press series in Accra, said government would no
longer tolerate the situation where people who had been
given hospitality continued to undermine the security of the
state.
“Our national security is supreme and shall not be
compromised on any account,” he said, adding that, refugees
had the responsibility to respect the laws as well as
refrain from subversive activities against the state, which
had given them a home for the past 18 years.
On February 19, a group of Liberian refugees embarked on an
illegal demonstration at the Buduburam Refugee Settlement
demanding that they did not wish to be integrated into the
Ghanaian society and that they wished to be resettled in a
western country. They also said they wanted each Liberian
refugee opting to voluntarily repatriate to be paid 1,000 US
dollars.
Many attempts by government officials and the United Nations
Humanitarian Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to convince the
leadership of the refugees to take off the demonstrators
from the highways was not adhered to.
The demonstrators also prevented charitable organisations
from distributing food to the elderly, sick and children
most of whom rely heavily on the food distribution.
These developments led to the arrest and deportation of some
of the ring leaders.
Mr. Bartels said no Liberian refugee in Ghana was here on
account of fear of persecution and it was the belief of
Government that the vast majority of them could return to
Liberia in safety and dignity.
“All Liberian refugees in Ghana are refugees under the 1969
OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee
Problems in Africa and not under the 1951 UN Refugee
Convention and its 1967 Protocol.
“Today, there is absolute peace in Liberia and its citizens
continue to return home without fear. Liberia has
established herself as a respected and accepted member of
the International Community where democratic governance
structures are in place,” he said.
He said, at a meeting with a high-powered delegation of the
Liberian Government, it was agreed that a Tripartite
Committee made up of Ghana, Liberia and UNHCR be established
to work out the practical modalities for repatriation of the
Liberian refugees starting with those who opted to
voluntarily repatriate on the UNHCR sponsored programme.
According to the Minister, the meeting also agreed that the
refugees be dispersed and settled in smaller communities for
better management and monitoring.
Mr. Bartels gave the assurance that Ghana would continue to
honour her obligations under the various refugee conventions
she is party to and continue to champion the cause of Africa
to ensure that peace and security prevailed over the entire
continent.
GNA
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