The politics of the African refugee problem

Abstract

Abstract by author:

This thesis attempts to find out the causes of the flight of three groups of refugees to Ghana, namely refugees from Southern Africa, Liberia and the Sahel Zone; how they have survived in the country, the kind of assistance they have received and official policy towards asylum and residence

The results of the study show that the Southern African refugees were forced into exile by the apartheid system in South Africa and the system of apartheid and colonialism in Namibia, the refugees from Liberia have been forced to flee struggle for the state started against the late President Samuel Doe and which has ended in a long drawn out civil war. The refugees from the Sahel have been forced to flee the drought and famine, which is the result of the decision of the governments of the zone, to follow a development strategy which tended to degrade the Sahel environment

The three groups of refugees have received different levels of assistance. The refugees from Southern Africa have been relatively better assisted. The refugees Liberia have not been accorded formal refugee status but are being treated as de facto refugees. They are the only group now in camp at Gomoa Buduburam. The refugees from the Sahel have no refugee status and only receive some humanitarian assistance from the Christian Council of Ghana

The reason for this state of assistance to refugees in Ghana, is the lack of a clear policy on refugees. Policy towards refugees is therefore ad hoc and has led to undue suffering of refugees particularly those from the Sahel

The thesis therefore draws attention to the political nature of the causes of the flight of refugees to Ghana. Solution lies in the government of the countries of origin of the refugees, negotiating a political settlement especially for South Africa and Liberia. For the Sahel Zone, the solution lies in the governments taking a second look at their development strategy and making changes that will relieve pressure on the environment

On policy towards refugees, the thesis recommends to the Ghana Government, the need for a law on refugees which will streamline the various ad hoc measures that have been used by ministries, departments and NGOs to deal with refugees