RELEASE
Accra, Ghana –The head of the High-Powered Liberian government delegation to Ghana, Cllr. Jeddi Armah, Deputy Minister for Legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged stranded Liberians in Buduburam Camp to return home and contribute to the rebuilding process of their country.
Speaking at a program marking the repatriation of over four thousand Liberians in the famous Buduburram Camp on Sunday, the Deputy Foreign Minister reminded the Liberian migrants that returning home will change their current status and allow them to live in dignity.
He added that living perpetually as refugees impedes individual growth and development as well as deprives one of equal opportunities in a competitive space.
The camp was created as part of an intervention to save the lives of Liberians who were fleeing the civil battles, according to Cllr. Armah. It is therefore necessary to go back home because the nation is currently experiencing unbroken calm.
For the years of hospitality extended to Liberians, he thanked the government and people of Ghana as well as partners such as UNHCR, the Ghanaian Refugee Board, and the Chiefs of the Gomoa Fetteh Region.
The Liberia Refugees Repatriation and Resettlement Commission’s Deputy Executive Director for Operations, Richard Hoff, praised the stranded people for their willingness to go back home in his remarks.
The CARI Regional Transit Village in Gbarnga, Bong County, has been refurbished for their well-being, and buses have been chartered, according to the LRRRC Deputy Executive Director, who stated that the government of Liberia is completely prepared to repatriate them.
He told the stranded Liberians that the UN haS also committed to act quickly to determine the nature of the former refugees’ livelihoods. One hundred communities have also been recognized based on their stay prior to reintegration.
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. was congratulated by Dennis Gwion, the president of the Liberian Association in Buduburam Camp, Ghana, for initiating the repatriation of Liberians.
He exhorted the Liberian community to seize the chance to go back home, live in peace, and use their knowledge to support Liberia’s advancement.
The repatriation of the 4,323 stranded Liberians is scheduled to happen in stages. After spending 34 years in Ghana, 770 people are scheduled to start their road trip to Liberia on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, as part of the first phase.
The UNHCR founded the Buduburram Camp in 1990 to house refugees escaping the civil wars in Liberia between 1989 and 2003. The camp is located approximately 44 kilometers outside of Ghana’s capital, Accra.
The Gomoa Fetteh Traditional Council, the landowner, ordered the demolition of a portion primarily inhabited by former Liberian migrants and refugees on February 27 of this year, leaving numerous Liberians without a place to live.
