Last week, beginning on October 31, Darfur refugees began leaving the Sanzule Krisan Refugee Camp in Ghana. This exodus was prompted by deteriorating conditions, political pressure, and three recent deaths. Hundreds of refugees who had fled the conflict in Darfur are now either preparing to leave or have left Ghana. They are making their way toward the border with Côte d'Ivoire, 45 km away, where Ghanaian authorities are attempting to block their departure. Most refugees are traveling on foot, though some have cars.
The Sanzule Krisan Refugee Camp in Ghana has been home to some 2,000 refugees, including 500 from Sudan and 1,500 from 12 other countries including Togo, Senegal, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Some residents have been there as long as 15 years, unable to return to their home countries. The Sudanese arrived more recently and are awaiting processing and resettlement by the UN; most prefer to move to western countries.
The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy interviewed several refugees who are among the Sanzule camp's leadership committee: Isaac Malwal, Khamis (last name unknown), and Coco Bashir from Sudan; Abdul Aziz Sharif from Sierra Leone; and David (last name unknown) from Liberia.
A lack of food, medical supplies, and other necessities have made the residents vulnerable to preventable diseases. The deaths in August of Alshiekh Mohamed Siddiq and Mohammed Muatasim from Sudan, and a child, Zainab Bari, from Sierra Leone, were blamed by Damanga sources on the poor living conditions in the camp and underscore that conditions are unacceptable and prompting residents to leave.
Differences in language and culture have led to some tensions between the refugees and the Ghanaian community. This was made clear two weeks ago, when Ghana's Minister of the Interior stated publicly that Ghana did not want the refugees, particularly Sudanese, to remain. He asked that the UN resettle them in another country. Despite the hostility displayed by the Ghanaian government, no UN security or support has arrived.
As a result, the refugees have begun to leave, to seek better support and
living conditions in another country. The Red Crescent and other
volunteer organizations have been preparing to house refugees who make
it across the border to Côte d'Ivoire.
In the last few weeks, UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) began programs to teach refugees computer and business skills so that they could become self-sufficient. Because the refugees were reluctant to settle in Ghana, the programs were not greeted with enthusiasm. Most of the Sudanese want to be resettled in western countries like those before them.
