Togo refugees build arms cache in Ghana?

The Free Press writes that at a time that Ghanaians are praying for peace after a historic election, Togolese refugees are reportedly stockpiling weapons and building arms cache on Ghanaian soil at their refugee camp at Klikor, near Agbozume, in the Volta Region.

A Free Press undercover reporter sited a troop deployment in the Ketu District of the region when he visited the area from January 5 to 10, 2001.

Residents of Klikor told the paper that Ghanaian soldiers patrolling the site 24-hours a day entered the area about two weeks ago and swooped on the camp, which is housing about 500 Togolese at dawn, seizing automatic weapons and grenades from the inmates and also recovering arms from nearby houses.

The camp reportedly, had for a long time been used as a breeding ground for Togolese dissidents who had allegedly been preparing to launch cross-border anti-government insurgency in Togo. Meanwhile, mounted military vehicles, manned by combat-ready soldiers continue to patrol the area stretching to Aflao border and has apparently abated treasonable activities of some young men who idle about and refuse questions from strangers.

The Deputy Director of the Public Relations Directorate of the Ghana Armed Forces, Lt. Col. Awuah, in an interview denied any invasion from the Ghanaian soldiers on their neighbours but said although soldiers were sent to the area, they were there as part of the security cover for the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Mr Kufuor is on record as saying in his day's visit to the Togolese capital, Lome, on Saturday that Ghana would not allow dissidents to use Ghanaian territory to launch attacks against their home governments.