Residents of Buduburam in the Central region are reeling from the aftermath of a government-led demolition exercise on March 4, 2024, which has left many in a state of distress.
The demolition targeted the homes of refugees residing in the camp, forcing residents to salvage belongings amidst bulldozers tearing down their shelters.
With homes destroyed, women, children, and the elderly sought refuge in makeshift accommodations at the nearby Point Hope Basic School.
Prior to the demolition, the Gomoa East District Assembly had issued several eviction notices to residents of the Buduburam Refugee Camp, citing redevelopment plans. The predominantly Liberian settlers expressed concern over the fate of their community.
Despite the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) decommissioning the camp in 2010, it had evolved into a settlement notorious for social deviance. This reputation prompted the government’s decision to demolish and redevelop the area.
In the aftermath of the demolition, residents voiced their disappointment and feelings of abandonment by the Ghanaian government. Some equated the government’s actions to xenophobia, expressing a profound sense of betrayal.
Speaking to Citi News’ Vivian Kai Lokko after the demolition, some of the residents expressed their disappointment in the government of Ghana, stating that they have been abandoned and are currently uncertain about their future.
One resident equated the government’s actions to xenophobia, expressing a profound sense of betrayal.
“What I am seeing is more like a xenophobia attitude towards the African brothers, especially the West Africa brothers…For me, I felt like the government of Ghana has disappointed us,” one of the residents lamented.
Another also continued “I am a mechanic by profession. While I learnt the trade on my sweat, the passport the Ghanaian government gave us cannot get any work here in Ghana. So, what I learnt is useless.”
The most severely affected mother, whose family was among the first to lose their home, lamented as well. Since the demolition, she added, they have been surviving on minimal aid, and sleeping on the floor of the school.
“Those of us in this room were the very first people whose houses were demolished, on Tuesday, February 27. Since that day, as you can see, I and my children have been lying here. Even for food, someone fried doughnuts and shared them with us, one each. Can this doughnut sustain us the whole day?” she questioned.
“At night, we pack all these things together and fix our mattress on the floor. My children are not in school, they are lying there. I am not even thinking about the school, they should come and see our condition, how can a person live like this?”
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