Refugees Rally Together in Buduburam Camp

Liberian refugees in Buduburam camp, 35 km west of the capital city, Accra, have created a neighbourhood watch team to enhance their security. The team comprises 200 male and female volunteers who patrol the camp at night and support the Ghanaian police, UNHCR reported on Thursday.

"UNHCR saw this as an invaluable opportunity to assist the camp with security issues and support refugee action ... the team is guided by a statute, developed with assistance from a UNHCR protection officer, defining the roles and responsibilities of each member and of the organisation as a whole [and] was accepted by the Ghana police service, which screened and trained members," UNHCR said.

The camp hosts Ghana's largest concentration of Liberians: some 28,000 refugees who fled their country during 13 years of unrest. The camp had come to be known as a "hotbed" of criminal activity. "We should now seek to extend this example and prove to all that refugees and host communities can, not only live peacefully side by side, but also work together to create and maintain a safe and secure environment for all," UNHCR Representative Thomas Albrecht said.

The effort was highlighted recently when the Ghanaian government inaugurated a refugee community mobilisation project to improve the physical safety of the camp's residents. The inauguration in mid-February was attended by the Ghanaian deputy interior minister, Kwadwo Afram Asiedu, and representatives of the Ghana police service, Ghana refugee board and UNHCR.