By Christian Daily International|
Hundreds of Liberian refugees living in Ghana have been left destitute following the demolition of a section of a refugee camp, 28 miles (45 kilometers) outside of the country’s capital, Accra.
The Buduburam refugee camp has been home to Liberians for 35 years after thousands fled two brutal civil wars between 1989 and 2003.
Although the U.N. ruled that the refugees were safe to return home in 2006, many Liberians living in Ghana say they have no connection or relations with their home country and prefer to stay in Ghana.
Speaking to Christian Daily International, the president of the Liberian Community Leadership at the Buduburam Refugee camp, Dennis Yoko Gwion, said the U.N. recommendation for an option of refugee integration within the Ghanaian society in 2010 hasn’t worked as planned due to what he termed as restrictions by the government.
“The Ghana Refugee Board gave us Liberian passports with resident permits which restricted us from working and doing business. We were promised that housing would be provided and that we would be relocated from Buduburam, but the Refugee Board has kept us here all this time,” said Gwion.
Gwion added that 6,168 registered individuals have been displaced as a result of the demolitions, which also included the destruction and looting of 65 churches.
