The Plight of Liberian Refugees - Documentary

Ayoka Productions has just released this documentary which clearly explains the situation faced by Liberian refugees in Ghana in recent months. The Niapele Project and Buduburam Refugee Concerns International collaborated with Ayoka Productions on this project, and we are proud to present it to you.

This documentary will also be screened as part of World Refugee Day (June 20) events held by The Niapele Project in various cities - details coming soon!

Emergency fundraising for detained refugee women and children

We have set up a special "emergency fund" for the detainees at the Kordeabe center in the Eastern region. Our first priority continues to be the 560 women and children now in their 11th day of detention in dire conditions.

An American volunteer in Ghana will receive these funds to avoid drawing suspicions or attention on our local contacts. She will purchase and coordinate delivery of the most necessary items via the human rights lawyers and advocates involved.
Current needs are:

• medicine,
  
• food,
  
• water,
  
• underwear,
  
• sanitary pads, and
  
• pots/pans/utensils for these individuals in great need.
  

Please click here to make a secure online donation to help provide detained refugee women and children with basic necessities

Thanks for your support,

The Niapele Project Team

Stories from the Field

For play-by-play updates on the developing crisis in Ghana, visit our coalition partner's website:

White Tara Productions

Buduburam Refugee Concerns International calls for Action to Protect the Human Rights of Refugees in Ghana; Crisis Escalating

This morning, Saturday March 22, reports are trickling in that an armed Ghanaian police force raided the Buduburam refugee settlement, arresting Liberian men, in an apparently random manner. The police allegedly beat young men playing basketball with batons, and raided the camp clinic, taking away people waiting for treatment. Men were taken from their homes - we have spoken to people who are currently hiding in the bush, locked into their houses, for fear of arrest by the Ghanaian authorities.

From eyewitness accounts, the arrests are arbitrary and unprovoked. We ask that the Ghanaian authorities immediately end what seems to be a campaign of unjustified, unconscionable arrest and detention of the Liberian refugee community at Buduburam. The Ghanaian authorities have been using the month-long peaceful protest by the women of Buduburam as a justification for their removal; however, the BBC admits that, “... [The Interior] Minister used false allegations to justify arrests", with relation to the arrests of March 17.

We, Buduburam Refugee Concerns International (a coalition of NGOs and individuals campaigning for the safeguarding of refugee rights in Ghana) are extremely concerned by the recent turn of events, and plead with the Ghanaian authorities to exercise restraint and to uphold refugee and human rights in this time of crisis.

Currently, 30 arrested men are at the Kotoka Airport in Accra, Ghana for immediate deportation. It is unknown if the police intend to make more arrests at this time. Desperation pervades throughout Buduburam and the Liberian community is in fear for their safety.

Hundreds of women and children that were arrested on Monday, March 17, 2008 still sit imprisoned in dire conditions. Although 90 of the most vulnerable detainees were returned to camp prior to the arrests of the men, the future of the remainder remains unknown. A March 20, 2008 (the 4^th full day of their detainment) article describes the deplorable conditions where the women and children are held. Reports of miscarriages, scorpion bites, and diarrhea are coming from the detainment center.

The situation grew out of a peaceful protest on camp, beginning February 19, 2008; several hundred Liberian women convened a peaceful “sit in” protest to call for increased assistance from the UNHCR. The government of Ghana became agitated by these protests and warned them to cease, but they persisted.

On, March 17, 2008, before dawn, the Ghanaian authorities arrived on camp, armed with AK47s and tear gas, to arrest over six hundred of protesters.

Their return to camp this morning to go after male members of the community, who did not participate in any protests, reveals the escalation of this crisis.

This morning’s events expose the dire circumstances of the refugee community in Ghana. As the crisis continues, the need for an immediate and peaceful resolution is increasingly clear. While the issue at hand concerns the estimated 26,974 Liberian who reside at the settlement, the total population is about 40,000, consisting of refugees from various African nations. All of their fates hang in the balance

Ghana must realize that the forcible removal of refugees from the country will not eliminate their responsibility. The international community is on alert and will demand accountability for these egregious human rights violations.

Please view the petition and its nearly 600 signatories at:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/LiberianRefugees/

View more information at www.theniapeleproject.org and www.whitetara.org.

600 refugee women and children facing deportation - action required

Following the recent events, a group of NGOs and individuals who work and have worked in the Buduburam refugee settlement have come together to call on the international community to insure that the rights of all refugees in Ghana are upheld.

We are gravely concerned for the fate of the 600 detained refugee women and children, who are facing imminent deportation - we humbly ask for your support in order to press authorities to respect the rights of refugees.

Please click here to sign the petition calling on authorities to uphold the rights of refugees in Ghana

We will pass it on to authorities very shortly.

On behalf of the Liberian refugees in Ghana, thank you for your support.

The Niapele Project Team

Stories from the Field - exposing the truth

We, at The Niapele Project, are completely appalled by the lack of journalistic (dare we say "human"?) integrity displayed in the media coverage of the current situation in the Buduburam refugee settlement.

Here is the latest update from Jessica Leombruno, who managed to get her hands on official documents released by the UNHCR as well as the Ghanaian Ministry of Interior last week, prior to the dramatic events of March 17th.

For a bit of context, they were released on the day that the 20 Liberian representatives went to Accra. That day, they met with a UNHCR representative (I believe the same one that is mentioned in the documents), and Ghanain authorites - Ministry of Interior and police chief, I believe. MD [a Liberian refugee who runs an NGO that works to improve the livelihoods of Ghanaian farmers,ndlr] was one of the 20 representatives. He told me that when they arrived, they were searched at gun point (while the press was made to stay outside, of course) and there were armed guards present during the meeting as well. While no compromise was actually reached, MD was encouraged by their response to integration into Ghana. He said that in response to their concerns about integration, the Ghanaian representatives adamently agreed that integration was not a possibility and that they had no interest in integrating the Liberian population either.
The representatives returned to camp feeling that they had made a significant advancement - at least integration was off the table. Upon returning to the camp though, the following press releases/documents were circulating - condeming the refugees for thier unwillingness to integrate. What an obvious difference between what people are willing to say when there is no one there (besides refugees) to substaniate what they are saying and what they release publicly

Apologies for the poor quality of the documents below - but you can click on the images for a larger view:




Please share these stories - post them on Facebook, on your blog, email your friends....

Hundreds of women and children are facing an immediate threat of unjust deportation - we need your help to make sure that the truth is exposed, and that the rights of refugees are being safeguarded.

Stay tuned for more information....

Stories from the Field - update

While we wait for an update from Jess, here is a link with the most updated news concerning the situation at the Buduburam refugee settlement.

We will continue to monitor this story, and provide you with the most accurate coverage possible.