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 
 
¶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 
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¶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