Ghana Refutes Burkinabe Refugee Deportation Reports
The Government of Ghana has denied deporting refugees from Burkina Faso in a statement from the Ministry of National Security.
Instead of deportation, it said the government has established a repatriation process at the reception centre to help Burkinabes who seek to go back to their home country.
“Contrary to claims that displaced Burkinabes are being forced out of Ghana, a repatriation process has been instituted at the reception centre to aid the movement of Burkinabes who wish to return to their country.”
This, it said, does not violate international protocol for the management of refugees.
It added that inasmuch as the government of Ghana wishes to safeguard peace and security in the country, it will take necessary operations without “compromising on the values such as respect for human rights including the right of refugees and displaced persons from neighbouring countries.”
As such, the Ministry noted it has established a temporary 2,100-capacity reception for Burkinabes in the Upper East Region in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees which currently houses just 530 refugees.
“The Ministry, in collaboration with the Ghana Refugee Board and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has accordingly established a temporary reception centre in the Upper East Region, capable of holding an estimated Two thousand, one hundred (2,100) displaced people from Burkina Faso.
“Currently, five hundred and thirty (530) displaced Burkinabes are being accommodated at the reception centre. Additionally, Ghanaian official entities ensure that displaced persons have access to free food and medical care. Also, as part of measures to enhance containment efforts, a 30-acre land has been acquired for the establishment of housing facilities to host displaced persons.”
APA reported that verified video footage showed women, children and men, clearly from the Peulh community, sitting under tin sheds in front of minibuses, ready to be repatriated from Ghana.
Another report by a Ghanaian journalist the news agency cited said “Soldiers raided town centres, markets and camps in search of Burkinabe nationals to arrest.”
The soldiers then carried out checks, after which a large number of Burkina Faso nationals were taken in minibuses to a centre where they would be deported to their country of origin, APA added per the account of the journalist.
