-As first 770 depart day for Liberia
The Liberia Refugees Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRC) in collaboration with the Government of Liberia and NGO Partners has launched the “Bring our People from Ghana” voluntary repatriation program to bring back the thousands of stranded Liberians affected by the Buduburam Camp demolition.
The first batch of 770 Liberians will depart Ghana on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, by 7 AM on buses sent by the government of Liberia and partners.
It can be recalled that the Buduburam Camp belonging to the Gomoa Fetteh Traditional Chiefs was demolished two months ago leaving over 2000 Liberian nationals who were residing in the camp affected.
This situation which caused Liberians most especially women and children to roam and sleep in empty school buildings in Ghana drew the attention of the Government of Liberia and other partners.
However, based on numerous calls from the affected Liberians in that part of the Country including national and international partners, the government of Liberia along with the LRRRC launched the voluntary repatriation program ensuring that Liberians return to their country.
The “Bring our people from Ghana” voluntary repatriation program was officially launched on Sunday, May 19, 2024, in Ghana.
According to the repatriation team in Ghana, the repatriation program begins on May 19, 2024, and there will be four trips the first is on Tuesday, May 19, 2024, and the second trip is on June 1-10, 2024.
Speaking on behalf of the government of Liberia, the Deputy Minister for Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Head of Delegation to Ghana, Cllr. Jeddi Armah said the demolished Buduburam Camp was established as part of an intervention to save and ensure Liberians who fled the war and it cannot be a choice for Liberians to continue to stay because it was only meant to provide temporary shelter.
Cllr. Armah urged the affected Liberians to celebrate the occasion and take advantage of the voluntary repatriation program as an opportunity to change their status emphasizing that although some of them are emotional about their departure from a place they have gotten used to.
He told Liberians in Ghana that living perpetually as a refugee in peace pays for individual growth and development to compete for equal opportunity in a competitive space.
Cllr. Armah also reminded Liberians in Ghana that they belong to a proud nation that once led the cause for freedom and human dignity in Africa.
“I applaud you fellow compatriot for seeing this as an opportunity to go back home and live in dignity to make your contributions to the rebuilding of Liberia,” he added.
On behalf of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Cllr. Armah extended gratitude to the past and present administration of Ghana and as well the people of Ghana in general for opening arms and welcoming Liberians to their country when they needed them the most.
The Deputy Minister for Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs vowed that the government of Liberia and its people shall remain internally grateful to Ghanaian Governments.
He at the same time, thanked their partners UNHCR, IOM, Ghana Refugee Board, Ghana Refugee Council, and as well Ghana Traditional Chiefs of Gomoa Fetteh for their patience in allowing Liberians to stay on their land that hosted the Buduburam Camp.
“As I launched the Government of Liberia voluntary repatriation program beginning with the first batch of 770 persons, I encouraged the returnees to take pride in the fact that your country Liberia has regained its place in the comity of nations and it is the best place to be right now. I wish you safe travel as you return to the motherland and pray that you rejoin your family and society,” he noted.
Cllr. Armah also acknowledged the role of President Boakai for decisively responding to the plight of the affected Liberians in Ghana and as well the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sarah Besolow Nyantie for being instrumental in engaging both officially and back channels to ensure that the initiative to bring finality and certainty to the protracted state that Liberians have faced including the Liberia Refugee Agency who leads the operational aspects of the program and the entire team at LRRRC.
For his part, the Deputy Executive Director for Administration at LRRRC, Richard Hoff thanked the people for voluntarily accepting to come back home emphasizing that even though they don’t have a choice.
Mr. Hoff said that buses sent to Ghana mean that the government of Liberia has taken action and is ready to repatriate them back to their country.
He told the people that the site in Bong County which is called CARI is where they will stay.
According the o him, as the people leave from Ghana their first resting place will be in Dakrada and to two other borders along the way before Abidjan to Yarmasokro and two other borders before entering Liberia.
Mr. Hoff informed the returnees that Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung will receive from the Liberian border along with other government officials and will be escorted by the Liberia National Police (LNP) to Gbarnga, Bong County.
Additionally, he revealed that the government will host the returnees in Gbarnga for one week until they can identify 100 communities in Liberia that each of them belongs to and will go but within that time they will provide feeding and as well medical needs.
He noted that an assessment will be conducted by the United Nations to ascertain what business each of them can do that will provide their livelihood.
“Those that are going to Monrovia, will stay at the Montserrado Camp called Johnsonville Site that will host them, and the others that don’t have family or houses we will take them to CARI and talk to them on how we are going to handle their situation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Hoff said the first repatriation of 770 persons are those that are from Bong, Lofa, Nimba, Cape Mount, Grand Bassa, Margibi, and Montserrado because Grand Gedeh, Maryland, River Gee, Grand Kru, and other counties shelters are not ready to host and are still under construction.
“There will be difficulty along the way but our staff including medical staff from the Ministry of Health will be on the buses to provide healthcare and food and as well take care of you along the road,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the Honorable House of Representatives has requested the appearance of authorities of the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission, LRRRC, before a joint committee to state plans for repatriating Liberians from the diaspora to Bong County.
A release issued Thursday, May 16, 2024, by the House Press Bureau, named the committee as Resettlement, Repatriation, Relief, and Readjustment and Good Governance and Government Reform.
The release said, plenary, took the decision following a communication from Bong County District 5 Representative, Eugine JM Kollie.
“Hon. Speaker and Members of the 55th National Legislature, I wish to bring to your attention that the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC) is currently constructing temporary Plastic-Coated (Tarpaulin) dwellings in SKT, Suakoko District, Bong County to host Liberians that are identified to be repatriated”, Rep. Kollie writes.
According to him, in as much as it is good to have Liberians back home, it is an internationally accepted practice for said repatriation to be established on a broad-based consultation, especially with the community that is expected to host the repatriated citizens.
He said if such a process is not properly done, like the case with the LRRRC planned repatriation process in Suakoko could result in socio-cultural conflict.
“Honorable Speakers and Distinguish Colleagues, to enhance the smooth repatriation and subsequent integration of our fellow Liberians who are to be repatriated, I am herein pleading your indulgence to invite the Executive Director of the LRRRC to respond to the other key issues including the EPA-approved management of the environmental stewardship of the temporary structures that is expected to host repatriated Liberians”, he alerted.
The Bong County District 5 Representative wants clarity surrounding the standardized social safeguard measures adopted by the LRRRC for the Suakoko repatriation processes and the land acquisition processes that were used for the securitization of the livelihood of both the community and Liberians to be repatriated.
He also wants the LRRRC to explain the sustainable livelihood and socio-cultural integration mechanism adopted by the LRRRC for said repatriation process and the security issues adopted by the LRRRC to accompany and sustain the repatriation in Suakoko for the betterment of all Liberians.
Meanwhile, authorities of LRRRC, are expected to appear before the joint committee next week Tuesday.
