WEST AFRICAN REFUGEES ON HOLD FOR MATERIAL SUPPORT

UNCLAS ACCRA 000569

SIPDIS

FOR PRM AND AF FROM AMBASSADOR BRIDGEWATER

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF GH SL LI
SUBJECT: WEST AFRICAN REFUGEES ON HOLD FOR MATERIAL SUPPORT


1. (SBU) Embassy Accra is home base for the Regional Refugee
Coordinator Office, which has responsibility for refugee
resettlement in 21 countries in West and Central Africa, one of only
two such offices in sub-Saharan Africa. We take refugee
resettlement issues very seriously and appreciate the efforts
currently underway in Washington to grant select refugees relief
from the restrictive material support provisions of the Real ID Act,
whether through the waiver process or by amended legislation.


116 Persons Impacted in the Region
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2. In the region covered by our Ref Coord, there are 116 Liberian
and Sierra Leonean refugees whose resettlement cases have been
placed on indefinite hold, either because they provided material
support to enemy combatants (reportedly under duress),or because
their case, although approved, is cross-referenced to a case on
hold.


3. (U) In order to put a human face on these statistics, we would
like to highlight the case of one Liberian refugee who epitomizes
the sometimes ironic collateral impact of the material support
issue. Below is her story. Although it is credible in light of
Liberia's history, it has not been independently verified. (To
protect her confidentiality, we have used only her initials.)


IK's Story
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4. (SBU) IK's village in Liberia was attacked by rebel forces in
2001, after which IK was kidnapped and held prisoner. During this
time, she was beaten, raped, and forced to carry food. (Comment:
the act of carrying food was considered "material support," thus
preventing her resettlement in the U.S.) Mid-way through her
captivity, rebels branded her leg with the initials FLF, using a hot
knife. IK escaped after 3 weeks, only to witness the killing of her
father and brother. Fleeing further into the bush, IK had to serve
as an impromptu mid-wife when her mother went into labor and gave
birth to twins. Unfortunately, the mother bled to death in IK's
arms and the babies passed away shortly thereafter. IK then fled to
Guinea, but because of the FLF branding, she was mistaken for being
a rebel sympathizer, beaten, and jailed for 10 days. Now living in
a camp in Guinea in relative safety, IK still suffers from a severe
post-traumatic stress disorder, her son has a medical condition that
cannot be treated locally, and her sister struggles with a severe
depression that has made her incapable of self-support. IK's case
came to our attention through an NGO in 2005 and DHS interviewed her
in 2006.


Conclusion
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5. (SBU) Although the numbers from our region are not large, post
asks the Department to consider assisting these traumatized
refugees, possibly through the option of individual waivers for
these 116 persons. We appreciate the Department's consideration of
this important issue.

BRIDGEWATER