The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR Ghana) has explained the rationale for calling on the Ghana Police Service to remove Sudanese refugees who had pitched camp at the entrance of its Accra office.
“The Sudanese refugees were on Thursday January 10, removed and taken back to the Krisan refugee camp in the Western Region. The refugees who were only a fraction of Sudanese refugees in Ghana had been picketing at the premises since November 27, 2018. “It is important to note that this particular group of refugees arrived in Ghana in 2004. The majority from this group live in the Krisan Camp in the Western Region,” a joint statement signed by Ms Esther Kiragu, Representative for UNHCR, the United Nation Refugee Agency in Ghana and Dr Vincent Kofi Anani, Executive Secretary of the Ghana Refugee Board said.
The statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said given that refugees in Ghana have freedom of movement and the right to work, some prefer to settle in urban areas, including Accra, in search of livelihood opportunities.
The statement said the Sudanese refugees had submitted a petition, which included some of their concerns relating to health, education, shelter, livelihoods and resettlement.
The UNHCR Ghana received the petition and responded in detail to each individual issue in extensive counselling sessions.
Additionally, UNHCR and the Ghana Refugee Board officials met with both the leadership as well as the whole group in several lengthy meetings where their concerns were discussed at length.
The statement said, despite the long and painstaking interviews with the individuals in the group, and the comprehensive responses to each of their issues, “the refugees adamantly refused to go back to Krisan or leave the entrance of the UNHCR office in Accra to return to their regular places of abode, where they would receive further support and counselling”.
The UNHCR Office had been particularly concerned about the children and pregnant mothers amongst them and the insanitary conditions while outside our offices, as well as the risk of accidents with the children playing along the road.
The statement said the specific concerns in practical terms all refugees in Ghana have access to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), for which they are provided with funding to partially cover the NHIS.
Some medications and medical procedures may not be covered by the insurance as is the case for all Ghanaians using the national health insurance.
In such instances, support can be sought from UNHCR Health partners on an individual basis where necessary. In exceptional instances depending on the magnitude of the problem, UNHCR and GRB can provide support within its limited resources.
On the education, the UNHCR said refugees are fully integrated into the Ghana education system; education is accessible to all refugees.
The statement said most school, registration fees are covered by the national education system: Basic Education (from Kindergarten to Junior Secondary) is free.
“Refugees who live in camp or urban areas are provided with exercise books and uniform, while the cost of school exams is covered by UNHCR,” the UNHCR stated.
On Secondary Education (senior high school) is also free and accessible to refugees, with additional support available to refugee students.
The UNHCR explained that Tertiary education in Ghana is also opened to refugee students. However, support is only available through a limited number of scholarship (an Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative) developed to enable refugee students’ access to higher education in their country of asylum and contribute to the process of reintegration in the home country upon repatriation.
The statement said many are eligible but do not have the means to pay for fees and subsistence.
On accommodation, UNHCR explained that approximately 50 per cent of all refugees in Ghana currently live in one of the four camps (Ampain, Egyeikrom, Fetentaa or Krisan) where accommodation support is provided.
It said except for vulnerable or needy cases, refugees who opt to reside in urban centres have to cater for their accommodation.
The statement said food assistance for Sudanese refugees was phased out in 2009.
“While food support can be provided to extremely vulnerable household, capacity and funding does not permit food assistance for an extended length of time and it will not be possible to reactivate food assistance.
“UNHCR and its partners work together to provide some socio-economic support for those most affected by the discontinuation of food or similar assistance, and to support the development livelihood self-reliance opportunities for refugees,” the statement said.
“UNHCR in collaboration with the GRB, other relevant arms of government and other partners will continue to work together to protect and assist all refugees in Ghana including fundraising and outreach to other non-traditional partners including the private sector and business community to augment available support,” it stated.
GNA
