Refugee leader blames compatriots for riots

BUDUBURAM, Ghana, March 26 ----- Mr Joseph Myers, Head of the Liberian Welfare Council at the Buduburam Camp on Sunday blamed a group of "undisciplined, new refugees," for sparking-off the trouble which led to widespread destruction of property at the camp on Saturday.

Describing his compatriots, who were recently admitted to the camp as "not law abiding," Mr Myers said the incident was unfortunate. The Police Post and the offices of the National Mobilisation Programme (NMP) and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), which were housed in the building, were vandalised.

Calm had returned to the camp by Sunday, when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the scene, but signs of the damage caused by the refugees were visible.

There was no police presence, as their living quarters were not spared the destruction by the Liberians, who were venting their anger on the police for their refusal to release a suspect in their custody to them.

Mr Edwin Acheampong, Camp Manager, told the GNA that at about 0130 hours on Saturday, an unknown assailant slashed Thomas Davies, a refugee, in the abdomen with a cutlass, while he was asleep. "He bled profusely and was rushed to the 37 Military hospital, where he was treated and discharged."

At about 04:00 hours, he said, a group of refugees stopped Kwame Amoako, a Ghanaian resident in the area, while returning from a wake-keeping at Awutu, a nearby village and questioned him about his movements at that time of the day. Amoako took offence over their prying into his affairs and this generated a scuffle.

The police who were close to the scene intervened and took Amoako into custody to enable them to investigate the refugees' allegation that he was responsible for the assault on their compatriot.

Mr Acheampong said when word got to the camp that the "suspect" had been arrested, the refugees rushed to the Police Post to demand that Amoako be released to them to mete out instant justice.

He said, when the police told the refugees that they will investigate the matter, they refused to budge and harassed the policemen. The police were only able to overcome the surging refugees after a reinforcement team from Winneba dispersed them amid firing of warning shots and tear gas and whisked the "suspect" away.

He said when the refugees realised that the "suspect" had been taken away, they attacked and destroyed the Police Post, the NMP and GNFS offices and the police living quarters. They also blocked the main Cape Coast road holding-up traffic and destroyed some vehicles plying at the time.

Mr Acheampong said when news of the blockade got to the surrounding areas, Ghanaian residents in Kasoa and Awutu rushed to the camp to attack the refugees but were restrained by the police.

Meanwhile, Davies, who confirmed the Camp Manager's account of the incident, said he could not identify his assailant, as it took place in the dark. "Besides, I have been in the camp for only six months."