U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 1998 - Ghana
Ghana hosted more than 20,000 refugees at the end of 1997, including an estimated 15,000 from Liberia, about 5,000 from Togo, and smaller numbers from other countries. Some 12,000 Ghanaians were refugees in neighboring Togo, and perhaps 20,000 Ghanaians were internally displaced.
Refugees from Liberia Most of the 15,000 or more Liberian refugees in Ghana arrived during 1990-91 to escape Liberia's armed conflict. The vast majority lived at Buduburam, a camp about 40 km from Accra, the capital. The camp was essentially a small town, with concrete houses for refugees, about 20 churches, and some electricity. Other refugees lived in Accra or at Krisan, a smaller camp that also housed several hundred refugees of other nationalities. A survey conducted during 1997 identified nearly 3,000 unregistered Liberian refugees in Ghana, UNHCR reported. More than 700 Liberians repatriated from Ghana with UNHCR assistance during the year. Others repatriated spontaneously, without assistance.
Refugees from Togo More than 100,000 Togolese refugees fled to Ghana in 1993 because of their government's violent resistance to democratic reforms. The overwhelming majority settled into Ghanaian villages and rural areas, making exact estimates of their number difficult. Togolese began trickling back to their homeland in 1994-95 after Togo promised amnesty to political opponents. UNHCR conducted an organized repatriation program in 1996, when some 50,000 or more Togolese refugees returned from Ghana, the overwhelming majority with UNHCR assistance. About 3,000 refugees remained at Klikor camp, ten miles from the Ghana-Togo border, at the beginning of 1997. UNHCR's organized repatriation program ended in 1997. Nearly 8,000 Togolese refugees repatriated from Ghana during the year, the agency reported, including about 5,000 with UNHCR assistance. Some 5,000 Togolese refugees remained in Ghana at year's end. Ghana closed Klikor camp in November. UNHCR transferred about 200 Togolese from Klikor to Krisan camp, while others settled among the local population in Volta Region. Only those transferred to Krisan received food assistance during 1997. Ghana will allow recognized refugees to settle at Krisan in the future, UNHCR reported. Many Togolese refugees in Ghana at year's end were expected to remain in exile because of their prominent opposition to Togo's ruling party. Ghana formally granted refugee status under the UN Refugee Convention to more than 1,000 Togolese during the year, UNHCR reported. Togolese without formal refugee status were allowed to remain in Ghana "without any molestation," UNHCR said. Two Togolese refugees resettled in a third country in 1997.
Uprooted Ghanians An outbreak of inter-ethnic conflict in rural northern Ghana in 1994-95 destroyed more than 300 villages, left an estimated several thousand persons dead, and forced more than 100,000 persons from their homes. The violence was linked to historical land disputes between members of different ethnic groups. During 1997, members of the various ethnic groups "maintained an uneasy calm," the U.S. Department of State reported. Although most uprooted families had returned to their homes, an estimated 20,000 remained internally displaced at year's end. Some 12,000 Ghanaians remained refugees in neighboring Togo, and were not expected to repatriate in the near future. No Ghanaian refugees were known to have repatriated in 1997, UNHCR reported.
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