BUDUBURAM, Ghana, 15 April (UNHCR) – – A six-member Ministerial Verification Committee which was recently inaugurated by the Ministry of Interior to investigate and make recommendations on the land hosting the Buduburam Refugee Settlement has held its inaugural meeting with various stakeholders. Present at the Committee’s first sitting were the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Kenneth Dzirasah who doubles as Chairman of the Ghana Refugee Board, members of the Committee, representatives of families or stools laying claim to the lands, Gomoa East District Assembly as well as UNHCR Representative, Ms. Chansa Kapaya, and refugee representatives.
Members of the Ministerial Committee, which was inaugurated on 25th March 2015 comprise representatives from the Interior Ministry, the Ghana Refugee Board, Attorney General’s Department, Lands Commission, National Disaster Management Organization and the Gomoa East Assembly. Their task include to investigate the circumstances leading to the acquisition of the Buduburam land for a refugee settlement, to establish the actual owners of the land and come up with recommendations towards the closure of the Buduburam Refugee Settlement.
In his welcome address; Hon. Kenneth Dzirasah noted that the initial interaction with key stakeholders is to solicit their support to enable the Committee execute its assignment successfully.
The Buduburam Refugee Settlement has been home to Liberian refugees who fled the civil war in Liberia in 1990. Following successful presidential elections and the attainment of relative peace in Liberia, most of the refugees have been assisted by UNHCR to go home on voluntary repatriation. A cessation clause came into force on 30th June 2012 to bring to a closure the Liberian Refugee situation. Although majority of the refugees have left Buduburam, there still remain some refugees who are persons of concern. Meanwhile over the years, non-refugees and people of other nationalities have been living in the settlement. Different interests have also claimed ownership of the land with some of the cases pending in court.
“We are aware that the camp is a fertile ground for all kinds of activities. This has not given Buduburam a good name within security circles” Hon. Dzirasah indicated. He further observed “there are court decisions on portions of the land and some claims have come before the Judgment Debt Commissioner recently for adjudication. We expect all such claims to be backed by credible documents or judgments” Hon Dzirasah added “We are also mindful of pending litigation in some courts over portions of the land. We wish to assure all that the Committee will exercise caution in its deliberations to ensure that we live above such litigations”.
The Committee hearings are expected to commence soon at the premises of the Ghana Refugee Board. All interested parties have been asked to cooperate with the Committee, as witnesses will be invited to assist the committee in doing its work.
UNHCR Representative, Ms. Chansa Kapaya thanked Ghanaians for hosting Liberian refugees for over two decades. She appealed to the Committee to be sensitive to the needs of the residual Liberian refugee population in Buduburam. She expressed the hope that facilities donated by the UNHCR to the community such as police posts, fire service posts, schools amongst others which are currently sitting on contentious land will be used for the benefit of the community and Ghanaians at large who have been generous towards hosting Liberian refugees in Buduburam for the past 25 years.
Liberian refugees who are still residing in the camp include Liberians who were exempted from the Cessation Clause, those who were rejected on first instance and are pending appeal review and those whose local integration process have not been completed. Ms. Kapaya hoped that the same sensitivity that was applied in hosting the refugees for over 25 years will be applied to the process of returning the land to the rightful owners.
By Patience Folley
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