A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

The detained protesters, virtually all women and children, were taken to Kordeabe Youth Camp in
the Eastern Region of Ghana, a several-hour drive from Buduburam and held there for several days.
The Ghanaian Minister of the Interior threatened to strip all the detained refugees of their status
and summarily deport them back to Liberia within a week. 293 Although that threat was never carried
out, 16 detained Liberians, 13 of whom had valid refugee status, were summarily deported to Liberia
without due process of law. 294
The Liberian government, the UNHCR, and the Ghanaian government began negotiations to
resolve the standoff. Ultimately, the tripartite group came to an agreement to “close” the camp and
repatriate the refugees back to Liberia. Reports from the camp as of early 2009 are that Liberians
from Buduburam are registering for repatriation and are returning home, though there was no change
in the stipend for returnees. 295 Thousands of refugees still remain in Buduburam, despite the reality
that almost no Liberians are being resettled out of Ghana to third countries at this time and that
Ghana may no longer recognize Liberians as refugees. 296
refugee reSettlement in the united StateS
Resettlement, along with repatriation and local integration, is one of three durable solutions to refugee
crises. 297 Throughout the Liberian conflict, thousands of refugees were resettled in third countries.
Even so, this number of resettled refugees is an extremely small percentage of the total number of
Liberian refugees. Between 1980 and 2007, the United States resettled approximately 31,500 Liberian
refugees out of the estimated 500,000 who fled. 298 The decision to offer third-country resettlement
is complex, involving foreign policy, humanitarian, and practical considerations. 299 Designation of
third-country resettlement can result in a “magnet” effect of new migration and may be resisted by the
host country government. 300 The durable solutions often are in tension with one another, and the offer
of resettlement may disrupt efforts seeking repatriation – long considered the most desirable solution
by UNHCR 301 – or local integration. 302
The United States’ Refugee Program resettles refugees in the United States. 303 The United States’
Refugee Program coordinates with the UNHCR, and private organizations referred to as Overseas
Processing Entities and Voluntary Agencies. Using a priority system, cases are designated into categories,
Priority One through Five. Priority One cases (P1) include those most in need of resettlement and are
referred by the UNHCR or the local U.S. Embassy. Priority Two (P2) cases include those of special
humanitarian concern. The remaining priority categories are for family members of refugees or
asylees living in the United States. Priority Three (P3) cases have been open to Liberians sporadically
during the past decade, allowing some spouses, minor children, and parents of Liberian refugees to
join family in the United States. Priority Four and Five categories, which allow resettlement of more
distant relatives, have been closed to all resettlement since 1999. 304
337
Chapter Thirteen