I have invited you all here today, to brief you on the recent events by a group of Liberian Refugees and unregistered Liberian nationals at the Buduburam Refugee Settlement since the 19th of February 2008.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, permit me to briefly give you a background on the evolvement of the Liberian Refugee situation in Ghana.
Ghana has on the onset of the Liberian Civil War in 1989/90 received and hosted several thousands of Liberian Refugees who fled the conflict, in the spirit of African unity and Brotherliness.

Our doors as a nation have been open since Independence and it is recalled that when the ill-fated “Bulk Challenge” ship carrying hundreds of Liberians fleeing the conflict in 1996, was drifting helplessly on the high seas, after almost every country on the West Coast of Africa had rejected it, it was Ghana which came to their rescue and offered them refuge. In fact, even prior to this, Ghana had sent its ships like the “M.V. Tano” and planes to Liberia to evacuate Liberians who were desperately trying to flee the War.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Ghana has also played a very active and pivotal role in the search for peace in Liberia as well as contributed troops to Peace Keeping there. As a matter of fact Ghanaian lives have been lost in the search for Peace in Liberia.

We continue to be involved in the Post War reconstruction of Liberia and most recently, our own Volta River Authority helped to restore Electricity to Monrovia and its environs.

Ladies and Gentlemen, as already stated, a group of Liberians had since 19th February 2008 embarked on an illegal demonstration at the Buduburam Refugee Settlement which is along the main highway from Accra to Ivory Coast.
The course of action taken by this group of Liberians had been a matter of grave concern to the Government of the Republic of Ghana, as it did have grave security implications for the country.

The demonstration by the Liberians was in support of a petition addressed to the UNHCR in Geneva demanding:-
i. That they did not wish to be integrated into the Ghanaian Society and would resist every attempt to integrate them.

ii. That they wished to be resettled in a Western Country.
iii. That they wanted each Liberian Refugee opting to voluntarily repatriate to be paid 0ne Thousand US dollars ($1000).

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me once again reiterate that Government has not decided to integrate them nor does it have any intention to do so.

Secondly, the issue of resettlement is not within the domain of the Government or UNHCR as offers of resettlement are made by recipient countries to UNHCR and to the best of our knowledge no such offer exists. The United States of America, to which most of the Refugees dream to be resettled has made it very clear that it will not resettle Liberians en-masse.

Just a few days ago, in the “Independent” newspaper, the U.S Embassy in Ghana repeated the position of the U.S Government that it has stopped resettlement for Liberians and that even those joining their families in the U.S who did not apply before 30th September 2006 will not be considered.

On the issue of the payment of one thousand dollars, the UNHCR has made it clear that it cannot pay that amount.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, what is so disheartening about the current state of affairs is that between 2004 and 2007, Liberian Refugees opting for Voluntary repatriation were paid only five ($5) dollars upon their arrival in Monrovia and it was only when Government took up the issue with the High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva in October last year that the new sum of one hundred dollars ($100) was approved.

Ladies and Gentlemen, several attempts had been made since 19th February 2008 by both the Ghana Refugee Board and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to engage the leadership of the demonstration in dialogue but to no avail.

Government on Tuesday 11th March 2008 met with the leadership of the demonstrating Liberians and warned them of the illegality of their actions as well as urging them to refrain from flouting our Laws with impunity, failing which they would force Government to act decisively including revoking their refugee status.

Despite several pleas made to them to stop their illegal activities, they continued to defy and flout our Laws with impunity. They stopped their demonstrations only on Easter Monday, the 24th March 2008.

Ladies and Gentlemen, these Refugees had in the last month succeeded in physically preventing Children from going to school at the Settlement and thereby forcing the closure of all schools in the Camp.

ii. They had prevented the National Catholic Secretariat and other NGO’s from distributing food to the vulnerable which include the elderly, sick, and Children most of whom rely heavily on the food distribution.

These refugees had physically, and also by intimidation prevented the elderly from going to collect their rations.

The World Food Programme requested Government, just two weeks ago, to provide them with Police Security to go to Buduburam to distribute food to the Refugees on account of insecurity there.

iii. They had also driven away some of the leadership of their Welfare Council from the Camp for not supporting their cause.

iv. Some of the demonstrators resorted to stripping themselves naked along the main Ghana to La Cote D’ivoire road and thereby causing a nuisance.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the leadership of the demonstrations had continually hidden behind the women and innocent children to perpetrate their illegal acts.
What is even more important, the activities of some of these Refugees threaten the Security and Peace of the Country.

• They had misled the women and children into sitting in the scorching sun believing that someone will meet their misplaced demands. The women had, as a result, become a risk unto themselves and there was the need to act swiftly to bring the impasse to an end.

Those refugees had within a four-week period succeeded in creating an anarchic state at the Buduburam Settlement and Government in the interest of protecting Law abiding refugees had to take decisive action to prevent the total breakdown of Law and order.

Ladies and Gentlemen, to try and bring sanity to the Buduburam Settlement the Government on Monday 17th March 2008 relocated 663 Liberians to the Youth Leadership Training Centre at Kordiabe which is now designated a Refugee Camp.

Government on the 21st March 2008 returned from Kordiabe, all the Children, the Sick, pregnant and lactating mothers and the elderly to Buduburam to rejoin their families on humanitarian grounds.

Ladies and Gentlemen, following Intelligence reports received, Government on Saturday 22nd March 2008 directed the Security Agencies to enter the Buduburam Settlement to arrest a number of identified ringleaders of the demonstration and some of the people whose activities posed a threat to the security of the State.

• The operation by the Security Agencies at Buduburam resulted in the arrest of 107 Liberians and after screening, 77 of them were released.

Sixteen of the arrested thirty were repatriated to Liberia on account of their activities which had security implications for the country.

Twelve other Liberians have been granted bail and are under investigation by the Security Agencies. Two others are being held for Immigration offences.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to state that the Government of Ghana requested for Diplomatic Assurances from the Liberian Government. Infact all the Repatriated persons came to Ghana because of the war and not as a result of individual persecution by the State or any group.

Ghana as an Independent and sovereign country has a right to protect herself from subversive elements and would take any action to protect and preserve the Peace in the country without apology to any one or body.

Ladies and Gentlemen, It may surprise you to know that the seemingly innocent demonstration by women and children was part of a wider plot by a number of persons to cause mayhem on the Settlement as well as threaten the Security of the Country.

Government is aware of the presence of a number of Ex-combatants at the Settlement and will not sit down unconcerned for our national security to be jeopardised.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Liberian Refugees fled to Ghana because of the Civil Conflict and War in their country. Following the end of the war and the return to democratic rule and normalcy, the Government on 22nd September 2004 signed a Tripartite Agreement for the Voluntary Repatriation of Liberian Refugees with the Liberian Government and UNHCR and which Agreement ended on 30th June 2007. All Liberian Refugees in Ghana are refugees under the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa and not under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. No Liberian Refugee in Ghana is here on account of fear of persecution and it is the belief of Government that the vast majority of them can return to Liberia in safety and Dignity.

Today there is absolute peace in Liberia and its citizens continue to return home without fear. Liberia has established herself as a respected and accepted member of the International Community where democratic Governance structures are in place. Liberia has been peaceful for over 5 years and over I million Refugees have returned home.

Government has as a result requested for the invocation of the Cessation Clause under Article 1 (4)e of the 1969 OAU Refugee Convention because the grounds on which they remain here are no longer valid.

At this point, lets find out who the law defines as a refugee:
Article I of the 1969 O.A.U Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa states:

1. For the purposes of this Convention the term “refugee” shall mean every person who, owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country, or who not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events is unable or owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.

2. The term “refugee” shall also apply to every person who owing to external aggression, occupation, foreign domination or events seriously disturbing public order in either part or the whole of his country of origin or nationality, is compelled to leave his place of habitual residence in order to seek refuge in another place outside his country of origin or nationality.

When does a refugee cease to be a refugee according to the 1969 O.A.U Convention?
Article 1, 4(e) states that the “Convention shall cease to apply to any refugee if:

He can no longer, because the circumstances in connection with which he was recognized as a refugee have ceased to exist, continue to refuse to avail himself of the protection of the country of his nationality”.

As already stated there is total Peace in Liberia and which has been confirmed by the Liberian Government delegation which came into the country.

Again when can a refugee be either detained or expelled?
Sections I and 3 of the Refugee Law PNDCL 305D are very clear. It states:
“A refugee may be detained or expelled for reasons of national security or public order except that no refugee shall be expelled to a country where he has reason to fear persecution”

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Government has as a consequence, taken a firm decision that all the Liberian refugees in Ghana return home especially since they themselves have stated categorically that they do not want integration into the Ghanaian society and that they will resist local integration with all their might. This is one issue on which the Refugees and the Ghanaian Government agree.

Government will no longer tolerate the situation where people who have been given our hospitality continue to undermine the Security of the State. Our National Security is Supreme and shall not be compromised on any account.

Refugees have a responsibility to respect our Laws as well as refrain from subversive activities against the State, which has given them a home for the last eighteen years.

We concluded last week, a meeting with a high powered delegation of the Liberian Government in which our position was made clear to them.

It was agreed that a Tripartite Committee made up of Ghana, Liberia and UNHCR be established to work out the practical modalities for repatriation of the Liberian Refugees in Ghana. The meeting also agreed that we start with those refugees who opted to voluntarily repatriate on the UNHCR sponsored programme.

We also agreed with the Liberian delegation that the refugees at the Buduburam Settlement be dispersed and settled in smaller communities for better management and monitoring.

The meeting also agreed that the refugees who were relocated to Kordiabe be returned to the Buduburam Settlement. This has been done.

We shall continue to build on the good relations that we have with Liberia whilst ensuring that our security is not threatened.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me end by assuring you of Ghana’s commitment to honoring her obligations under the various Refugee Conventions she is party to Ghana will continue to champion the cause of Africa to ensure that peace and security prevail over the entire continent.

Thank you.