Liberians Clash with Ghanaian Police After Attack

ACCRA, Ghana (Reuters) -- Thousands of Liberian refugees have fought with Ghanaian riot police in a camp near the capital, Accra, witnesses said on Sunday.

The witnesses said the police were attacked with stones at the Buduburam refugee camp, home to some 8,000 Liberians who fled a civil war that began in their country over a decade. A police post was destroyed.


The violence followed an incident early on Saturday in which a man believed to be a Ghanaian attacked a refugee, only to be overpowered by his would-be victim.


The police intervened and placed the suspect in protective custody. The later violence came when they refused demands to hand the man over.


It was the latest reported attack on people in the Buduburam camp, some of whom have suffered machete wounds.

"Our people wanted the police to hand the man over to us so that we could deal with him," said Liberian Daniel Chea.


"These people have been attacking us because, we think, maybe they're tired of us and want us to leave."


While the Liberian civil war formally ended with elections in 1997, security there remains precarious, particularly in the north. Rebels have launched cross-border attacks from Guinea in recent months, and Liberian refugees remain scattered around West Africa.