Click Here to Make TheLiberianTimes.com Your Homepage

Advertisement
Latest News

Liberia: Liberian Refugees demand increment in Repatriation benefits; go-slow in Ghana
Feb 24, 2008
by Michael Kpayili / Staff Writer

Liberian Refugees are said to be stranded in Ghana and Guinea with the conditions of several of them been appalling. According to reliable source coming out of the Buduburam camp in Ghana, over two thousand women have organized a sit-in action since one week ago demanding the United Nation support in repatriating them back to Liberia.

According to our news source, authorities of the United Nations High Commissioners for Refugee based in Accra have suggested several options aimed at repatriating stranded Liberian Refugees in Ghana. Among those options are the cash amount of United States One Hundred to each Refugee above eighteen and Fifty United States Dollars to each Refugee below eighteen. Besides the cash amount spelled out, UNHCR also agreed to transport the Refugees back to Liberia with only 20kg of load on either ship or airplane.

Barely one week after the presentation of the UNHCR suggestions, significant portion of the Refugee community objected to suggestions raised by UNHCR on grounds that the proposals raised were immaterial to their well-being. The Refugee mainly women expressed their desire to go back home but requested the UNHCR to increase the amount to One Thousand United States Dollars and allow them to carry all of they belongings acquired during their stay in the Refugee camp.

The sit-in action according to our Accra based Correspondent have entered it fifth day with basically no official redress. An attempt by the Head Master of the Refugees to intervene into the matter proved fruitless as the women group sitting on the ground before the entrance of the camp claimed to have no leadership. The women also opposes any plan to reintegrate them into the Ghanaian society.

The demand of increment in the repatriation benefit came as the result of a wide-spread speculation that the United nations provided the cash amount of Fifty Million United States Dollars for the purpose of resettling the remaining Refugees in Ghana. The speculations have not been independently verified in anyway.

The voluntary repatriation exercises of Refugees came to an end on June 30, 2007 with the returning refugees benefiting from the cash amount of Five United States Dollars and other assorted non-food items. Despite the deadline of the voluntary repatriation exercise, over 50,000 Liberian Refugees are said to be languishing in various center sin Ghana, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

It is not clear what will be the reaction of those that were voluntarily repatriated with only Five Dollars given but the sign of counter reaction is certain judging from the difference in previous benefits and the expected benefits.

About the Author:
Michael Kpayili is a staff writer for TheLiberianTimes.com. Kpayili has written articles which have appeared on TheLiberianTimes.com since late 2005, and his hard hitting investigative journalism has earned the respect of the Liberian press community.

Michael Kpayili may be contacted at mkpayili@theliberiantimes.com.