Approximately 600 Liberians and Ghanaians have found themselves stranded following a demolition operation conducted by the Gomoa Fetteh Traditional Council on February 27, 2024.
The council justifies the exercise as a necessity to create space for a market development project catering to traders affected by the ongoing expansion of the Kasoa-Winneba Highway.
Last week, the Gomoa Fetteh Traditional Council issued a threat to demolish parts of Zone E in the Budumburam camp for the same purpose, citing impediments caused by market activities to the ongoing highway expansion.
Today, the council proceeded with the demolition, targeting structures at the Liberia Camp. Some affected community members express surprise, blaming the traditional council for extending the exercise beyond the initially marked zones.
About 600 Liberian nationals now face displacement with no alternative housing.
“We’ve been displaced now and our homes have been destroyed. We don’t have anywhere to go, and we want the government to do something about the exercise,” Jamal George, a displaced resident, told the media.
Residents, such as Jamal George, call on the government to intervene, emphasizing their sudden displacement and destroyed homes.
Leadership from the Liberian Community accuses the Ghanaian government of neglect and perceives the demolition as an attempt to force them out of the settlement. They argue that the exercise goes against the UN’s convention on refugee settlements.
The vulnerable, particularly the elderly, are left in a precarious situation without shelter. Seeking refuge in basic schools in the Buduburam community, residents argue that these schools were established for the existence of the refugee camp.
As of now, there is no response from the Gomoa East District Assembly regarding the matter.
