Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ACCRA709
2007-03-29 18:49:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Accra
Cable title:  

THE FUTURE OF LIBERIAN REFUGEES IN GHANA

Tags:  PREF GH LI TO 
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VZCZCXRO9302
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHAR #0709/01 0881849
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291849Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4098
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 000709 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF GH LI TO
SUBJECT: THE FUTURE OF LIBERIAN REFUGEES IN GHANA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 000709

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF GH LI TO
SUBJECT: THE FUTURE OF LIBERIAN REFUGEES IN GHANA


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: UNHCR Representative Aida Haile Mariam told Ref
Coord on March 14 that refugees were becoming more serious about
repatriation, with the deadline for returning to Liberia with UNHCR
assistance only 3-1/2 months away. A preliminary headcount at
Budumburam Camp completed on March 2 indicated that the number of
Liberians had already dropped by more than one-third to 24,350.
Representative Haile noted that the GOG was only now coming to grips
with the probability that 20,000-plus Liberians would be remaining
in Ghana but it had not yet determined whether to offer them
permanent residency or Ghanaian citizenship. End Summary.


Delays in the Liberian P-3 Program
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2. (U) Refugee Coordinator met with UNHCR Representative Aida Haile
Mariam on March 14 at the latter's request for a wide-ranging
discussion on refugee issues in Ghana. Durable Solutions Officer
Senai Terrife accompanied. Representative Haile proferred that many
refugees, until recently, had not seemed to realize the benefits
they would forfeit if they do not repatriate by June 30, including
free transportation to Monrovia and beyond, four months of food
rations, and other financial and non-food assistance. Furthermore,
delays in our P-3 (refugee family reunification) resettlement
program meant that most refugees would not be adjudicated until
after June 30; thus, the majority of them would not learn whether
they would be resettled in the U.S. until after the deadline for the
promotional phase of repatriation had passed. Ref Coord advised
that there were efforts underway to accelerate the clearance process
in Washington. He would attempt to provide UNHCR with a list of
refugees who had not passed the initial P-3 verification phase so
that they would know that resettlement was no longer an option for
them.


Budumburam Population Down by nearly Half
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


3. (U) Representative Haile shared the preliminary results of a
five-week-long headcount of Liberian refugees at Budumburam Camp,
located just west of Accra. With 1,000 individuals still pending
final verification, the census revealed a substantial drop in the
camp's population from its 2003 peak of 42,000 to the current count
of 24,350. Haile explained the lower numbers as the result of
resettlement, spontaneous returns to Liberia, refugees opting to

live elsewhere in Ghana, and UNHCR-assisted returns. The discussion
then turned to the post-June 30 situation and the stance of the
GOG.


GOG Advises Refugees of Ghana's Requirements
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4. (SBU) In what Representative Haile described as a watershed
event, GOG officials, including the Chair of the Refugee Board, the
Vice President of the National Disaster Management Organization
(NADMO),and a representative of the Ghanaian intelligence service,
arranged a joint meeting with UNHCR and the Liberian refugee
leadership in Accra on March 12. For the first time, UNHCR and the
GOG openly discussed various post-June scenarios, cognizant of the
strong probability that Ghana would still be home to over 20,000
Liberians for the foreseeable future. The GOG advised that there
was a possibility that it would revoke the Liberians' refugee
status. Furthermore, unless the GOG decided to implement a
preferential regime, those Liberians who wanted to remain in Ghana
would possibly have to obtain residence and work permits, pay taxes,
and pay non-citizen prices for medical care at GOG facilities.
Representative Haile said that when refugee leaders later relayed
this information with the larger refugee community at Budumburam, a
hush fell upon the crowd. This suggested that the Liberians had
understood that their days of enjoying the limited perks of refugee
status, some of them since 1990, may be coming to an end.


5. (SBU) Representative Haile said that the subject of permanent
residence status for those Liberians remaining past June was no
longer taboo with the GOG; however, she was less sanguine about the
possibility of the GOG conferring Ghanaian citizenship. While
Ghanaian law included a provision for the naturalization of
foreigners, in practice, this had happened only for a handful of
Lebanese. Furthermore, while various Ghanaian officials have said
they would consider some kind of LPR status for the Liberians, one
of the pre-conditions was that UNHCR needed to reduce the camp
population. The number of refugees has, in fact, fallen
significantly, but Representative Haile did not know whether the
remaining number of 24,350 fell within the GOG's comfort zone. She
added that refugees who wanted to stay at Budumburam and buy land
faced a myriad of competing property claims. Nevertheless, she
noted that at least one refugee had successfully obtained title to a
small parcel.


A Tipping Point?

ACCRA 00000709 002 OF 002


- - - - - - - - -


6. (SBU) Ref Coord and Representative Haile agreed that the GOG and
Liberians were reaching a tipping point, with the June 30 deadline
for repatriation with UNHCR assistance fast approaching. Liberians
had arrived at their moment of truth had arrived, realizing that
their future in Ghana beyond the deadline was by no means certain.
Representative Haile concurred that the GOG, for its part, had
overcome its initial reticence to "pressure" refugees into making a
decision on whether to repatriate or remain put. Instead, like
UNHCR and the USG, the GOG now wants refugees to be fully aware of
their options and the consequences for not repatriating by June 30.
Representative Haile added that while the GOG preferred that the
deadline be extended, Geneva was holding firm to the original
timetable. According to her, the GOG was also aware that more of
the ancillary costs of hosting the Liberians would be shifting from
the international community to Ghana.


7. (SBU) Representative Haile mentioned that rumors of mass
resettlement continued to circulate at Budumburam, with refugees
associating UNHCR's recent headcount with the impending resettlement
of large numbers of Liberians. Ref Coord offered to post an updated
USG announcement mentioning the June 30 deadline for repatriation,
the benefits that refugees who stayed behind would forfeit, and the
criteria for refugees still being considered under our P-3
resettlement program. Representative Haile welcomed our support and
added that UNHCR was formulating a long-term exit strategy that
would entail closing Krisan Camp (after resettling a large
percentage of its residents),turning Budumburam over to the GOG,
and helping Togolese refugees in the Volta Region to repatriate or
to integrate locally.


Comment
- - - -


8. (SBU) Representative Haile had previously advocated an extension
of the June 30 deadline, but has come around to our position that
this goalpost should not be moved. The GOG is finally making
tentative plans for the 20,000-plus Liberians who will likely remain
on Ghanaian soil beyond June 30, recognizing that it will have to
come up with a long-term solution for them. If it is to be
successful, the GOG will have to involve more than just the Refugee
Board, which plays a largely advisory role. The Ministry of
Education, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Interior will
have to tackle long ignored issues such as management of the camp's
schools, clinic, and security structures. We predict that there
will be some bumps in the road, but in the end, the GOG will
establish some form of legal permanent residence for the Liberians
that falls short of citizenship but allows them to work and live in
Ghana.

BRIDGEWATER