A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

were rounded up and held in “concentration camp” conditions. 190 He noted that in Kindia there
was a military torture brigade similar to the Liberian Anti-Terrorist Unit (ATU) that would torture
refugees. 191 “It didn’t matter where you actually were from, but if you were part of any Liberian tribe
you were assumed to be a trouble maker.” 192
This statement reflects the security concerns created by a spreading sub-regional conflict. Ultimately,
refugees were caught between rebel forces attacking across the border, civil dissidents in Guinea, and
the Guinean army. 193 Numerous reports emerged of killings and kidnappings in the refugee camps by
rebel forces. 194 “Guinea was not a safe place to be because it was too close to Liberia and people were
being killed there as well.” 195 One statement giver in Ghana described how she disguised herself as
old to avoid being taken. 196 Amnesty International reported that LURD was recruiting from among
refugees in Guinea in 2001. 197
LURD rebel activity created other problems for refugees. In 2002, the Guinean President made a
radio broadcast “alleging that Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugees in the country were a source of
insecurity and should be sent home.” 198 This statement resulted in refugees becoming “the victims
of numerous human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrest, harassment, sexual abuse, extortion,
eviction and disappearances.” 199 Guineans also became concerned about overuse of farm land because
of the influx of refugees. 200
Many of the refugees who left Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire because of security concerns,
found their way to Ghana. Because Ghana does not share a border with Liberia, it provided relative
calm in comparison to neighboring countries where cross-border incursions had become a problem.
Moreover, the conflict in Liberia eventually engulfed Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire, making Ghana
one of the only safe options.
To further examine the experiences of the Liberian Diaspora living in refuge in West Africa, the
following section focuses in detail on the situation in the Buduburam Refugee Settlement in Ghana.
Buduburam is the largest remaining camp of the many Liberian refugee camps that were established
in West Africa. Because of its size, and because many of the refugees who reside there spent time
in other camps around the region, the Liberian TRC chose to focus statement taking efforts in that
settlement.
Ghana
Many refugees who left Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire because of security concerns, found
their way to Ghana. Two refugee camps existed in Ghana, Krisan-Senzolli and Buduburam. In 1997,
UNHCR reported that approximately 17,000 refugees were residing in Ghana. 201 In 2007, when the
TRC took statements in the camp, Buduburam was home to between 35,000 and 40,000 Liberians. 202
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