Dennis Buyoum says refugees in Ghana are treated badly & are unfairly being accused of atrocities
• Liberians living in Buduburam say they are being treated badly by the Gomoa East District Assembly
• The refugees were given up to September 30 to leave the camp
• The Assembly has earmarked the camp for demolition
The Chairman of Liberians living in the Buduburam Camp, Dennis Buyoum has stated that as refugees in Ghana, not only are they being treated badly but are unfairly being accused of things that they are not.
His comment comes at the back of moves by the Gomoa East District Security Council to demolish the Buduburam Camp, a decision the refugees say will leave them homeless.
The Gomoa East DISEC issued a September 30, ultimatum to settlers including Liberian refugees living at Buduburam to vacate the place for redevelopment.
Following the expiration of the deadline, the refugees say they find themselves in a state of helplessness as they have nowhere to go.
Speaking to the media about the Assembly’s decision, the Chairman of the refugees described what he said was unfair treatment being meted out to them by the government of Ghana and the Ghana Refugee Board.
“We came here not by ourselves; we came here by the government of Ghana. If the District Assembly wants to demolish this place, they should know that we are under Ghana Refugee Board. They should go to the Refugee Board so they come to us and tell us where to go.
“We are not struggling for the land; we are not fighting for the land. Ghana Refugee Board promised to send us somewhere. They are to give us housing, education for our children and these things have not been done. So where are we going?” he questioned.
He stated that the agreement between the government of Ghana permitting their stay was evoked in 2012. But they were given two options which were to either repatriate back home or integrate in Ghana.
According to the Chairman, the government of Ghana as part of their integration is to ensure they are given a settlement among other benefits, something which he says has not been done.
Despite being denied a new settlement, the Chairman stated that in addition to the notice of eviction, he and his people and being tagged with vices.
”Since 2014 up till now we are still living here thinking that they are still preparing a place for us to go. But to our ultimate surprise, they brought an eviction letter and it is not just the eviction letter, they are calling us names.
“They say we are criminals, we are armed robbers, we are selling lands and that we are prostitutes. When did they realize that we are prostitutes? We have stayed here for 31 years,” he questioned.
The Liberia camp was set up by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the 90s.
It served as a home for refugees who fled their country during the two Liberian civil wars (1989–1996 and 1999–2003).