the times they are a-changin'

and I'm trying to figure out just how.

June 30 marked the official closing of voluntary repatriation to Liberia, worldwide. The UN is marking this significant closure as a success. However, while Liberia may be much safer than Somalia or Sudan, and thus many more refugees have returned, the fact remains that between 23,000 and 34,000 refugees remain at Buduburam. Many don't want to go home, and that is why they did not take advantage of voluntary repatriation. They would like to integrate into the Ghanaian community, or get resettled somewhere like America or Norway or Australia. The chances of resettlement are slim but many refugees still hold out. There is also, however, a significant portion of the population that would like to return home to Liberia - but not yet. They do not think it is safe, for the present peace is fragile. The current government has not brought about all the improvements it promised and has been accused, like every Liberian government before it, of corruption. People are getting angry and antsy, in Liberia and even at Buduburam. Another reason people don't want to return home yet is that the people who have hurt them, who killed family members in front of them, are still in Liberia, not brought to justice and often in positions of power. Prince Johnson, a rebel leader who killed many innocent Liberians, is a Senator. And so thousands of Liberians remain in Ghana, in a perpetual state of limbo.

There were many concerns about what might happen after June 30. In the international volunteer community the fear was that the UNHCR would pull out completely. This has not happened, and will not until around 2009. The limited UNHCR services will remain available, except for voluntary repatriation. The UNHCR claims it will be moving its focus to Liberia, and that its presence here will focus primarily on establishing long-term plans for integration. As Ghana has gotten tired of playing host (though from what I hear about the Geneva convention or some tripartite agreement or something, legally cannot kick the Liberians out), the UNHCR's role in faciliating integration will be significant. The head of the UNHCR was in Accra on Monday, largely because of the African Union conference, but he spoke to Liberian refugee delegates. He told them that voluntary repatriation was over but the refugee contigency appealed for it to be extended for the rest of the year or at least two months. The UNHCR has yet to respond to that appeal, though the leader of the women planned to get many people to register for repatration in the hopes that if enough people did so in the next two months, the UNHCR would help them return. This two months thing caused some rumors on campus, with people believing that after August 31, the camp may be closed and everyone not registered for either repatriation, integration, or resettlement becoming illegal and ending up in jail. There was a rumor that Nigeria gave all the Liberians there 24 hours to get out. The two-month extension was passed around as fact, and it wasn't until going to the Liberian Refugee Welfare Council and reading an article pasted outside that I learned that it was only a wish, an appeal.

So piece by piece we're putting together the situation. Tomorrow there's a press conference/meeting with Mr. Sambola, head of the welfare council, to clear things up. In the mean time, PCO is doing what it can to diffuse tension in the community and provide a forum to discuss their concerns.