2,000 Ivorian refugees arrive in Ghana; 20, 000 more expected

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Some 2,000 Ivorian refugees are in Ghana following the worsening political crisis in the neighbouring West African Country.

An estimated 20,000 more are expected, the UNHCR has confirmed.

Already the government of Ghana is worried about the imminent stress the refugee situation will have on the country’s limited infrastructure.

Chairman of the Refugee Board, Ken Dzirasah told Joy News’ Bernard Saibu the board's immediate challenge is a reliable water and electricity supply for the refugees.

He had just returned from Ampanyin in the Western Region where the refugees are being settled until calm returns to their country.

He said the UNHCR is collaborating with the Ellembelle District Assembly and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to provide mobile clinics for the refugees.

He was worried how the refugees will cope during the rainy season, with the Western Region known to record the highest amounts of rainfall in the country.

Eighty tents have so far been mounted in Ampanyin to host the refugees who are currently in the camp, Joy News’ Western Region correspondent Kweku Owusu Peprah reports. They include 50 unaccompanied children, he added.

An estimated 600 more are expected from the reception centre in Elubo.

The refugees are already complaining of inadequate supply of food, a problem the UNHCR will help to address only if their numbers swell to 5,000 or more.

The refugees cannot help but narrate their harrowing experiences that have driven them away from their country.

One of the refugees, a woman, in tears, narrated how two of her family members were beheaded. She had no option but to run for her dear life.

Assistant controller of Immigration, Ahmed Musah, confirmed to Joy News some 2000 refugees have so far been registered since they started arriving last month.



Story by Joy News/Ghana