-Liberian Returnees Protest against LRRRC for Maltreatment and Unfulfilled Promises
By Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia, Liberia – Nothing less than joy overflew them when they were informed about finally returning home after more than ten years as refugees in Ghana. The excitement was kept tight even till they arrived in Liberia but suddenly took an awkward trend after they were given reasons to believe that the government, through the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), was reneging on fulfilling initial promises made to them as part of the repatriation and reintegration processes.
On August 8, 2024, a group of Liberian returnees from Ghana gathered near President Joseph Boakai’s residence in the Rehab community, seeking his intervention regarding unmet financial commitments made by the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC). The returnees, who arrived in Liberia months ago with the assistance of the LRRRC, are grappling with significant challenges, including a lack of shelter, unfulfilled financial aid, and insufficient support for their reintegration into society.
A female returnee told reporters: “We are sleeping in the cold. No money, no mattress. They (LRRRC) took all the mattresses, they took all the rice, and the oil and they left. Since then, we have been sleeping in the cold. LRRRC took the mattresses, the rice, and the oil and we are sleeping in the cold with our children.”
Another Returnee further noted, “We have gathered here because our concerns are not being addressed. We want to thank the president for bringing us back. He has demonstrated leadership and we are grateful. But when we arrived, some packages should have been given to us and we have been here for about three months and about ninety percent of us have not received what was promised.”
“This is a total embarrassment for us. This is why we came to the president. We want the president’s intervention. The three hundred they promised per head and the two hundred and twenty-five for our kids. Right now it’s a total embarrassment to let the president help us so that we can get on our feet. Upon their arrival, the LRRRC had promised $300 per household head to aid in the resettlement process. However, many returnees claim that this promise has yet to be realized, leaving them in precarious living conditions.
On Thursday, August 8, about 50 returnees, including families with children, undertook a long journey on foot to the President’s residence, carrying placards to voice their grievances. Their signs bore messages such as “We need our money” and “Are we, not Liberians, LRRRC?”, reflecting their frustration and urgent need for the promised financial assistance.
Upon being alerted about their plight, President Boakai’s Director of Cabinet intervened and guaranteed them that their worries would be dissected and dealt with.
Howbeit, the Executive Director of the LRRRC Patrick Worzie informed journalists that roughly 85% of returnees have received their funds as promised by the LRRRC. According to him, about 300 out of the 1,579 returnees left to be given their packages including financial aid, and assured that the LRRRC is working with the Ministry of Finance to resolve the cases of those who have not received theirs.
The coming of the returnees
In mid-June of this year, hundreds of Liberian returnees who were repatriated from Ghana and resettled in Johnsonville complained about facing distressing conditions, branding themselves as refugees at home. The Buduburam Camp belonging to the Gomoa Fetteh Traditional Chiefs was demolished two months ago, leaving over 2000 Liberian nationals affected.
The situation forced many, especially women and children, to roam and sleep in empty school buildings in Ghana, prompting the attention of the Government of Liberia and other partners. Despite the launch of a voluntary repatriation program by the government of Liberia and the LRRRC, the process has been plagued with challenges. Liberian returnees currently residing at the LRRRC Transit Center in Johnsonville are sharing life-threatening stories as they battle health complications.
Like the first group, these returnees are facing issues with shelter, as many are forced to sleep in open spaces that were once used to host animals. Women are particularly affected, facing poor sanitary conditions and overcrowding at the center. They complained about what they see as the failure of the LRRRC to pay their resettlement fees.
Early June, the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission began the resettlement of the first batch of returnees from Ghana to their respective counties of origin. The first batch of over 500 returnees who identified Grand Gedeh, Grand Bassa, Margibi, Bong, Nimba, and Montserrado as their counties of origin was dispatched to their families. Those taken at the Johnsonville Site were unable to locate their relatives.
“Majority of us have skills”
On Friday, May 24th, the first batch of Liberian refugees who resided in Ghana arrived in Liberia. They formed part of a total of 4,300 Liberian refugees scheduled to return home between May and June this year. Upon their arrival, they were wholeheartedly welcomed until Tuesday, May 28, 2024, when Patrick Worzie, the Executive Director of the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), said more than half of the first batch of approximately 648 Liberian returnees from the Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana are drug addicts.
This made many Liberians curious about the consequences drug addiction has, and how the addicted returnees will relate to their new environment. Moreover, there were more concerns about the possible threats it poses to the people of Bong County [Their first residential stop] and Liberia in general especially when the country is already struggling with the proliferation of Kush, and other harmful substances.
