VZCZCXRO3505
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHAR #0475/01 0951214
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 041214Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6372
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0398

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 000475 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR AF/FO, AF/W, AND PRM 
GENEVA FOR RMA 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREF PREL LI GH
SUBJECT: Liberian Refugee Update and Analysis 
 
Ref: A. Accra 380, B. Accra 383, C. Monrovia 219, D. Accra 422  E. 
Email Koutsis-Mestetsky Mar 24, 2008 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  On April 1 Minister of Interior Kwamena Bartels 
announced that Ghana would deport all 26,967 Liberian refugees in 
coordination with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees 
(UNHCR), and that in the interim they will be dispersed to various 
locations to mitigate their threat to national security.  Bartels 
remarks followed a March 22 raid at Buduburam that led to the 
deportation of 16 Liberians, including 13 registered refugees.  This 
action was taken without consultation with UNHCR and appears to 
conflict with agreements made with the government of Liberia to 
delay deportations until after meetings on March 26.  As of March 
27, UNHCR told Post they had not discussed the deportations with the 
Ghanaian government, nor were they apprised of decisions reached 
during high level discussions between Ghana and Liberia.  On March 
29, the governments of Liberia and Ghana issued a joint communiqu 
on the formation of a tripartite commission with UNHCR on plans for 
the return of all Liberian refugees from Ghana.  While plans to 
remove the Liberians from Ghana appear to be politically popular in 
this election year, the GOG's actions seem to signal a deterioration 
of the asylum regime in Ghana, a development that has also been 
enabled by UNHCR Accra's unassertive stance toward the GOG.  End 
Summary. 
 
GOG announces Intent to Repatriate All Liberians 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On April 1 Minister of Interior Bartels told a press 
conference that Ghana would repatriate all 26,967 Liberian refugees 
in coordination with UNHCR [N.B.  In addition to the 26,967 
registered Liberian refugees, there are an estimated 15,000 
unregistered Liberians living in Ghana, for a total of approximately 
40,000.] 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Bartels also announced that Buduburam would be closed "to 
prevent the breeding of new sets of refugees into the country" and 
said that all Liberian refugees will be dispersed to various 
locations to mitigate their threat to national security.  Bartels 
said protestors had prevented children from attending school and 
prevented food distribution.  He also said the government was aware 
of "a number of ex-combatants in the Buduburam settlement and would 
not sit down unconcerned for the security of the country to be 
jeopardized." 
 
¶4. (SBU) The time frame for returns has not been established.  Some 
reports indicate that the GOG intends to complete returns within six 
months, and that repatriation may begin between April 4 and April 
¶30. 
 
Deportations 
------------ 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Bartels remarks followed protests at Buduburam and the 
arrest of some 630 protestors on March 17.  After contradictory 
statements regarding the number of Liberians the GOG planned to 
deport (refs B and D), and an apparent agreement with the Liberian 
government to delay deportations until after high-level bilateral 
discussions on March 26 (ref D), the GOG deported 16 individuals (14 
men and 2 women) on March 22 via Ghanaian military aircraft, 
thirteen of whom were registered as refugees.  Per Embassy Monrovia, 
the GOL brought the sixteen to a high school inside the Firestone 
rubber plantation for processing 
 
Arrests 
------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The 16 deportees were from among a group arrested on March 
22 when police conducted a raid at Buduburam, arresting two busloads 
of individuals, mostly men.  Bartels announced that 107 Liberians 
were arrested March 22, 77 of whom were released after screening. 
He said that the 16 were deported on "account of activities which 
had security implications for the country."  12 others were released 
on bail and are under investigation, and 2 were held for immigration 
offences.  According to an NGO volunteer who witnessed the arrests, 
it was not clear whether the individuals arrested were the 
"trouble-makers" the police sought to arrest.  According to UNHCR 
Accra Representative Aida Mariam, the GOG did not provide UNHCR with 
information about or access to the arrested individuals prior to the 
deportation. 
 
¶7. (SBU) A Ghanaian NGO, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative 
(CHRI), filed a lawsuit challenging the government's arrest and 
detention of the 630 Liberians. While that lawsuit was withdrawn due 
to the group's release, CHRI told POL Chief April 3 that it still 
has a pending habeus corpus claim against the GOG for holding 23 
Liberians in excess of the 48 hour statutory maximum, and is seeking 
a court order barring the GOG from deporting the 23. Post will 
 
ACCRA 00000475  002 OF 002 
 
 
report additional details on this legal challenge as appropriate. 
 
Liberia-Ghana Consultations 
--------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) On March 27, Refugee Coordinator met with Mariam to 
discuss the outcomes of the high-delegation meetings between the 
government of Liberia and Ghana, the deportations of the 13 refugees 
on March 22, plans for the approximately 600 individuals in 
detention outside Accra, the registered and unregistered Liberians. 
Mariam said she did not know if any decisions had been reached, and 
anticipated that the governments would release a joint communiqu. 
Mariam noted that she had not held any separate discussions with the 
GoG since the March 22 deportations.  She said she did not plan to 
raise the issue of the arrests or refoulements, and that UNHCR's 
priority was returning normalcy, security and services to Buduburam 
settlement. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) With the end of the protests and the return of relative 
calm, Mariam said that UNHCR intended to resume operations, without 
adjusting its work program.  It plans to immediately resume 
arrangements to voluntary repatriate 400 Liberians who had already 
registered. Mariam said she did not know if UNHCR will continue to 
register Liberians for voluntary repatriation, or if this will be 
limited to the 400 already registered.  UNHCR Liberia would provide 
integration assistance to returning refugees, but not to the 
non-refugee deportees. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) UNHCR said that it also intends to continue with 
self-reliance programs in furtherance of local integration, despite 
public statements by President Kufuor announcing the GOG's intention 
to repatriate all 40,000 Liberians, and a lack of significant 
interest in local integration among the Liberians. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) On March 28, the Ghanaian and Liberian governments 
released a joint communiqu which included the following: 
 
a. Formation of a Tripartite Committee including representatives of 
the Liberian and Ghanaian governments and UNHCR "to oversee the 
implementation of decisions reached on the repatriation of Liberian 
refugees in Ghana." 
 
b. "The Government of Ghana invoked the Cessation Clause and 
initiated discussions with the UNHCR on the modalities for the 
eventual repatriation of the refugees in Ghana." 
 
c. "Those refugees who have registered to return voluntarily under 
UNHCR program would be encouraged to do so." 
 
d. "In the meantime, refugees at the Buduburam Settlement will be 
dispersed for better management and monitoring in consonance with 
the mandate of the Tripartite Committee." 
 
e. "The refugees at the Kodiabe camp would be returned to the 
Buduburam Settlement."  [NB: the refugees have been returned.] 
 
¶12.  (SBU) UNHCR Representative Mariam told Refugee Coordinator 
March 27 that she had sent the communiqu to UNHCR HQ in Geneva but 
did not provide further comment.  Refugee Coordinator will report 
any additional clarifications as they are received. 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶13.  (SBU) It appears that UNHCR-GOG consultations thus far have not 
been as thorough as desired, and UNHCR must re-establish its 
leadership role on this issue and actively ensure that the GOG is 
applying appropriate legal protections to maintain the integrity of 
the asylum system. 
Ghana's deportation of 16 individuals was conducted without 
following appropriate legal processes or adequate cooperation with 
UNHCR.  While the GOG has announced a Tripartite Commission to 
oversee the process of returns, it is not yet clear if it will 
establish an appeals procedure for those who claim continued fear, 
pursuant to the standard under international law.  From the GOG's 
public statements, focused on the need to maintain public order and 
security, it appears intent on returning the Liberians.  The issue 
is not likely to have a wider impact on Ghana-Liberian relations. 
Ghanaians had taken pride in being the only African country to 
welcome the Bulk Challenge ship in 1996.  However, the experience of 
hosting Liberians may prevent them from welcoming any new groups and 
may adversely affect future asylum adjudications.  End Comment. 
 
BROWN