A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

One statement giver who escaped Liberia by ship in October 1990 told the TRC that, using French he
had learned in school, he lied to a peacekeeper and pretended to be Guinean so as to get into the port
at all. 129 Then he had to fight for hours to get on board the Tano River cargo ship. 130 The statement
giver said that, after an entire day fighting to get on the ship, he finally boarded at 3:00 AM. 131 Another
statement giver said that he was allowed on a ship first because he was in such a terrible wounded state,
but that his family was not able to get on board until 12 hours later. 132 “Many people died and were
stepped over in the struggle to get on board.” 133 Those who were able to make it aboard often had to
turn over all their cash to be allowed to travel on crowded, under-supplied vessels. 134 One statement
giver told the TRC he was on board a ship bound for Ghana for five days with no food. 135
On top of the conditions on the ship, neighboring countries refused to let ships dock, such as the
infamous ships Bulk Challenge, Victory Reefer, and Zolotitsa. 136 These three ships caught international
attention in 1996 after no port would accept their passengers. The 2,000 Liberians, Ghanaians and
Nigerians on board the Bulk Challenge were turned away by Côte d’Ivoire. 137 Ghana also declared
the ship to be non desiderata, only to ultimately allow the ship to land in Ghana after days at sea. 138 The
Victory Reefer was prohibited from docking in Sierra Leone, and the 450 passengers on the Russian
Zolotitsa were refused by both Ghana and Togo. 139 The Victory Reefer was eventually allowed to land
in Freetown, Sierra Leone, after refugees spent six days at sea. Liberians were taken to a refugee camp
outside of town, while other non-Sierra Leoneans were taken to their respective embassies. 140 The
Zolotitsa returned to Monrovia after being turned away by Ghana and being lost at sea for several
days. 141
ECOMOG was also credited by numerous statement givers with helping them get to the port, receive
medical treatment, and then get transport on a ship out of Liberia. 142 A statement giver who was in
Fendell described how ECOMOG attacked the rebels at the campus and eventually liberated those
held there. “ECOMOG transported me and my family to barracks in Monrovia. After three days a
ship came and transported us all to Ghana. I remember very clearly how crowded the ship was.” 143
refuge
Now I am a refugee, because I had crossed an international border. It was
so different. There were all kinds of non-governmental organizations there
to process you and give you help, whereas just an hour ago you were fighting
for your life. 144
Persons who flee a conflict and cross an international border in the process become refugees and are
protected by several international treaties; primary among them is the 1951 Convention Relating to
the Status of Refugees. 145 Once in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ghana, or Nigeria, refugees were assisted
at camps under the auspices of the UNHCR. Côte d’Ivoire followed a different approach. Even
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