VZCZCXRO9914
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHAR #1523 1922105
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 112105Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4906
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS ACCRA 001523 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF GH LI TO
SUBJECT: LIBERIAN REFUGEES IN GHANA FACE MAJOR CHANGES 
 
REF:  MONROVIA 748 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  The mood at Budumburam Refugee Camp, 25 miles 
west of Accra, is somewhat tense, as the June 30 deadline for 
repatriating to Liberia with UNHCR assistance has passed.  A 
last-minute surge resulted in over 1,000 refugees signing up to 
repatriate, but change is coming even for those who elect to stay 
put in Ghana.  Various GOG officials have told refugees they plan to 
close the camp and scatter the remaining 40,000 registered and 
unregistered Liberians among various locations in Ghana, some as far 
away as Kumasi, five hours to the northwest.  UNHCR supports the 
decision to close the camp but notes that the GOG will have to 
manage the process carefully and communicate more clearly if it is 
to gain the refugees' cooperation.  End Summary. 
 
A Visit to Budumburam 
---------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Refugee Coordinator and RC Assistant visited Budumburam Camp 
on June 26 as part of the RCA's orientation.  Meeting with the camp 
manager and refugee council president, we learned that UNHCR had 
conducted another go-and-see visit to Liberia (reftel).  According 
to the council president, the impact of this visit was profound, as 
Liberia's economic progress was much in evidence.  He told RefCoord 
that, while he had long resisted the idea of repatriation, he was 
now very impressed with the changes taking place in Liberia. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The camp manager and council president argued that 
refugees needed more time to decide whether to repatriate.  Ref 
Coord noted that a tripartite agreement concerning repatriation had 
been signed in October 2004 and that the June 30 deadline was firm, 
with no possibility of an extension.  When asked for numbers signing 
up for the trip home, neither could provide figures, but they agreed 
that interest in repatriation was at all all-time high.  (Note: 
UNHCR later confirmed that 1,050 refugees had signed up to 
repatriate and that eight movements are scheduled during the month 
of July. End note.) 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Ref Coord again mentioned the large number of jobs 
available in Liberia, including NGO workers, policemen, soldiers, 
and teachers.  He told them some good-paying jobs with NGO and UN 
organizations were being taken by foreigners because there were not 
enough qualified Liberians to fill them.  RefCord added that for 
those who decided to stay in Ghana, it was likely that it would no 
longer be life-as-usual. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Many refugees in the camp told Ref Coord and RCA that they 
could not return to Liberia because of the trauma they experienced 
during the civil war.  Others said they wanted vocational training 
before repatriation.  Ref Coord pointed out that there were many 
vocational training program already set up in Liberia; newly 
arriving refugees were welcome to take advantage of them. 
 
The UNHCR Perspective 
--------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) UNHCR Representative Aida Haile Mariam told Ref Coord on 
July 5 that the GOG had already spoken to refugees about the camp 
closure and their impending dispersal.  However, the GOG spokesman 
reportedly used flowery language that was difficult for the 
Liberians to comprehend.  Haile agreed with us that the timing was 
unfortunate.  If the announcement of the camp closure had been made 
earlier, more refugees might have signed up to repatriate, she 
thought.  Nonetheless, UNHCR supported the concept of dispersion in 
principle, since it was preferable for refugees to integrate with 
local communities rather than to concentrate in an artificial camp 
setting.  As long as the GOG managed the process properly, it could 
prove successful, she thought. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  The eleventh-hour surge in repatriating Liberians is 
welcome, but the local integration of the 40,000 remaining Liberian 
refugees will doubtless take many months and we can expect some 
bumps along the road.  In the end, the good intentions of both the 
GOG and UNHCR will probably secure the refugees' cooperation, who 
are left with the choice of submitting to the decisions of the 
Ghanaian authorities or returning to Liberia.  Those who stay in 
Ghana may have difficulty becoming self-sufficient, particularly if 
they are not granted work/residence permits or are relocated to 
rural regions with few economic opportunities. 
 
BRIDGEWATER