POLICE EXCESSES IN CRACKDOWN AT KRISAN REFUGEE CAMP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 ACCRA 002548

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2015
TAGS: PREF PHUM CASC GH
SUBJECT: POLICE EXCESSES IN CRACKDOWN AT KRISAN REFUGEE CAMP

REF: A) ABIDJAN 1694 B) ACCRA 2311

Classified By: REF COORD NATE BLUHM FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) Summary: On December 8, RefCoords from Accra and
Abidjan and AF/W Desk Officer for Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire
visited Krisan refugee camp in Ghana's Western Region to
investigate reports that police had beaten camp residents
from November 8 - 11. Emboffs saw first-hand scars on the
foreheads, backs, legs, and shoulders of refugees suggesting
beatings, and confirmed with the head nurse that the camp
clinic had treated 100 refugees for injuries following the
police crackdown, which was in response to a refugee attack
torching two buildings and one vehicle. The GOG has since
declared the camp a restricted area, allegedly for security
reasons. One-fourth of the camp's population has fled into
the forest or to urban areas; those who remain told Refcoord
they live in fear of continued police brutality, or, in some
cases, retribution from other refugees for non-participation
in protests. The GOG tried to prevent Emboffs from entering
Krisan camp. Police detained Emboffs and threatened to
confiscate their film. This incident and the findings from
RefCoord's visit suggest very worrisome human rights abuses.
End Summary.

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Background
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2. (SBU) Krisan camp was founded in 1996 as a safehaven for
high need refugees. Krisan refugees are given full food
rations and free medical care in an environment far removed
from the more self-sustaining regimen of Budumburam Camp,
just west of Accra. Although the intent was good, the camp's
isolation in Ghana's southwestern corner has meant that
Krisan's residents actually received less attention and had
fewer opportunities for education, income-generating
activities, or sophisticated medical care than their less
needy counterparts in Budumburam. A small camp which has
never housed more than 2,000 refugees, Krisan includes a mix
of Togolese, Sierra Leoneans, Liberians, Congolese,
Ivoirians, and Sudanese.


3. (SBU) Conditions at the camp are far from dire, but
boredom and frustration over the slow pace of resettlement
have begun to take their toll. Krisan refugees believe UNHCR
is no longer concerned about them. Refugees complain, for
example, that the bore hole that once supplied drinking water
to the camp has been broken down for months, but UNHCR has
run out of money for repairs. UNHCR has not disabused the
Sudanese of the notion that they will be resettled to a third
country in January, as "promised" by the Minister of the
Interior, raising false hopes and angering the Togolese who
have lived in refugee camps since 1993 without concrete steps
from UNHCR to resettle them. Others have complained to
Refcoord of scorpions and snakes within the camp and of the
lack of educational opportunities beyond junior secondary
school. For reasons that remain unclear, the Ghanaian camp
manager hired by UNHCR is held in very low esteem. According
to refugees and one local press report, a visiting UNHCR
employee recently told refugees, "If you are unhappy with
conditions in the camp, you are free to leave."


4. (U) As reported Ref B, refugees began to do precisely
that in early November, congregating at the Ivoirian border
55 kilometers away and requesting admittance to Cote
d'Ivoire, where some may have thought conditions for refugees
would be better. Police arrived on the scene on November 7,
giving the crowd 24 hours to disperse.

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The Violence Begins
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5. (C) Police returned to the border on November 8, herding
the unwilling refugees who remained onto buses. According to
refugees and UNHCR, the police began beating many of the
refugees, including some French speakers who were simply
confused. Ghana's Inspector General of Police confirmed the
police beatings to PolChief on December 13, saying that the
Minister of Interior "handled the situation badly" and
ordered outnumbered police at the border to repel the
refugees. Refugees allege that the beatings continued en
route to Krisan. Refugees were returned to the camp by 9
a.m., by which time other refugees had set fire to the
warehouse, the UNHCR office, and one vehicle. Most of the
perpetrators were Togolese, according to UNHCR, but a few
Ivoirians and Liberians also took part in the melee. Police
withdrew from the camp until 2 p.m., when they returned in
greater numbers. According to refugees in the camp, police
went from house to house, indiscriminately beating all
residents, including the Sudanese and other innocents who had
not participated in the border protest nor the arson. Senior
UNHCR Protection Officer Jane Muigai asserted to Refcoord
that the organizers of the border protest and the arsonists
had fled the camp.
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Justice Marches Forward
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6. (SBU) Muigai told Ref Coord that Ghanaian authorities
were seeking the arrest of 40 individuals, of whom 11 have
already been jailed, released on bail, and scheduled for
another court appearance on December 14. Some of those being
sought have reportedly fled to Accra, where they lead a
shadowy existence on the streets in an attempt to evade
justice. She thought that those who organized the border
protest would be fined, but that arsonists would probably be
sent to prison. Muigai added that a camp registration
exercise on December 2 indicated that Krisan's population had
declined by one-fourth to 1,350; she thought the missing
refugees were either hiding in the forest or residing in
Takoradi or Accra. She noted the deterioration in relations
with neighboring Ghanaian villagers, most of whom are poor
and envious of the spurned opportunities given to refugees.

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Emboffs Visit the Camp
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7. (C) In the first diplomatic visit to the camp since the
violence started, Ref Coords from Accra and Abidjan entered
Krisan on December 8, along with Richard Kaminski, the
visiting Desk Officer for Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. Prior to
their departure, the Chief Director of the Ministry of
Interior told RefCoord that the camp was safe to visit and
asked for a courtesy letter informing him of the visit plans.
However, early in the morning of December 8, he called to
say that procedures had changed, that the visit was not yet
authorized, and that the Minister of the Interior needed to
approve all visitors to the camp. The Minister told PolChief
later that morning that Refcoords should not visit the camp
because of security concerns, saying he would consider a
later visit if Refcoord were accompanied by personnel from
the Ghana Refugee Board. By that time, Ref Coords were
nearly at the camp's gate and unreachable by cell phone.
They did not know of the Minister's last-minute decision to
bar their entry.


8. (C) The dozen policemen guarding the camp readily
allowed Refcoords and Desk Officer to enter Krisan, in what
we later realized contradicted their orders from Accra.
Refugees were eager to share their experiences, describing
wholesale violence and thefts from November 8 - 11, including
mass beatings and arrests carried out stealthily in the
middle of the night. One woman said she had been stripped;
others displayed their broken teeth. Muslims complained that
the Ghanaian policemen had defiled the camp mosque when they
rushed inside without removing their shoes. Over a dozen
refugees partially removed their clothing to reveal evidence
of police brutality -- arms in slings, scarring on the legs
and back, wounds to the forehead. Yet Refcoords saw a UNHCR
announcement in the camp dated November 11 that stated
"follow up at the Ekwe referral hospital did not reveal any
wounded refugees." The camp clinic's own records indicated
that 100 refugees were treated there for injuries following
the events of November 8; refugees claimed they were denied
further treatment at Ekwe. The head nurse (protect) added
that one of his patients had been dragged out of the clinic
and beaten while undergoing treatment for previous injuries.
UNHCR alleges that the police later apologized for their
excesses, but refugees said they had no such recollection of
an apology.

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Refugee Complaints
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9. (SBU) Ref Coords asked refugees why some refugees had
torched the warehouse sheltering implements for making manioc
paste and palm oil, together with a number of new sewing
machines, all designed to help the refugees become more
self-sufficient. While not justifying the arsonists,
refugees explained that the self-help program had been
"imposed" on them with no dialogue; though the intention was
good, they wondered who, among their poor Ghanaian neighbors,
would have the cash to buy clothes, palm oil, or manioc paste
from them. Some believed rumors that participation in the
income-generating project would disqualify them for
resettlement. Those refugees with professional, urban
backgrounds frowned upon any work associated with agriculture
or manual labor. Other refugees said they were unable to
gain employment with certificates they had earned as
hairdressers or tailors. Refugees wondered why UNHCR had not
initiated a micro-credit program for starting up small
businesses, such as has occurred at Budumburam and in some
refugee camps in Guinea.


10. (SBU) Many refugees complained of untreated medical
conditions. One man had suffered continuous pain from kidney
stones since 2004 but had only been given prescription
medicine. Another child had a hernia and presumably needed
an operation. One woman said while visiting the UNHCR office
in Accra, she collapsed and was then referred to a mental
hospital. Our impression was that the Krisan clinic staff
was dedicated, compassionate, and professional; moreover, the
head nurse said there was no lack of medicine. It is
possible that the referral system to local hospitals has
broken down, despite claims to the contrary by the National
Catholic Secretariat (NCS),which manages health care at
Krisan. One refugee claimed he had been refused treatment in
Takoradi despite having a broken arm; the same man said he
had spent eight days in jail without food.


11. (C) When asked what refugees fear most, the majority
said the Ghanaian police. (Refugees meeting separately with
UNHCR in Accra reported their greatest fear was retribution
from the more radical refugees in the camp.) NCS confirmed
that two Togolese families had fled to Takoradi and Accra
because they did not participate in any protests and feared
reprisals. During our visit only the Sudanese openly spoke
of fearing both the police and other refugees. Ref Coords
advised refugees to remain calm, to continue their dialogue
with UNHCR, and to submit to the Ghanaian judicial system if
summoned.

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Police Detain Emboffs
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12. (SBU) After Emboffs mingled freely among the refugees
and took photos for two hours, a squadron of police arrived
with automatic weapons, their leader shouting belligerently,
"You have no permission to be here!" We later learned they
had received orders from Accra to escort Emboffs out of the
camp and take they to the Regional Superintendent of Police
in Sekondi, where, ironically, Ref Coord had already booked
an afternoon appointment with Commander Arthur. Armed
policemen boarded the two Embassy vehicles and rode with them
to Sekondi. Arthur was calm and courteous and Emboffs
apologized profusely for any misunderstanding. Arthur said
he wanted to confiscate our film, but Emboffs resisted.
After a series of phone calls to Accra, Arthur said we were
free to go, explaining that we had not been "detained," only
"delayed." DCM subsequently apologized to the Chief Director
of the Ministry of Interior (who was furious) but also
protested the treatment of our officers.

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Comment
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13. (C) The Minister of Interior told PolChief the
newspaper stories about police abuses in Krisan were
"inaccurate" and claimed some of our refugee sources in Accra
are "ringleaders" from Krisan, wanted by the police. While
some refugees who talked to us may have agendas to peddle,
Refcoord's findings at the camp are consistent with reports
from Krisan refugees who have sought him out in Accra as well
as with reports in The Chronicle newspaper. The Inspector
General of Police conceded that the reports of police abuses
in Krisan could be true, although he said he would need to
check into them because he had just returned from travels.
UNHCR believes there have been some police abuses in the camp
but they did not visit the camp until several weeks after the
violence and do not have independent information.


14. (C) The visit to Krisan raises serious concerns. The
new restrictions on visits to Krisan Camp (unprecedented in
our recent experience),the hour-long detention of three U.S.
diplomats, and the threat to confiscate our film suggest a
cover-up and a hyper-sensitivity to anything that would cast
a shadow on Ghana's international credentials. According to
the December 12 issue of The Chronicle, police removed one of
their journalists as well as two Journalists for Human Rights
volunteers from the camp the same day they removed Emboffs.
Police also reportedly detained a German man heading a local
NGO who was taking photos from a public road outside the
entrance to Krisan camp. The Ambassador has sought a meeting
with the Minister of Interior on December 16 to raise our
concerns about Krisan.


15. (C) While the human rights situation in Ghana is
generally good, the country has a history of police abuses,
including responding to civil unrest with beatings and
excessive force. The Krisan incident underscores the need
for more human rights training for the police. The Krisan
experience also points to some concerns about UNHCR and
refugees in Ghana. UNHCR has long been hampered by erratic
funding, staffing gaps, and a reticence to refer cases for
resettlement -- even after refugees have spent ten years
without another durable solution in sight. Their apparently
poor handling of Krisan camp may have contributed to the
recent violence. Many Ghanaians are unhappy about hosting so
many refugees, especially given the recent influx of Togolese
and a fracas involving Sudanese in Accra. The Chief Director
of Interior recently told PolChief (before the Krisan visit)
"we need to discuss refugees soon." The Acting Commissioner
of the Commission on Human Rights noted Ghanaian fatigue with
refugees in a Human Rights Day speech at the Ambassador's
residence on December 9. Criticism of human rights abuses in
Krisan, however justified, could further erode the GOG's
patience as a host of refugees.


16. (U) This telegram was cleared by Nick Hilgert, Refcoord
in Abidjan, prior to transmission.

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