Ghana Immigration Service calls for early completion of refugee camp

Mr Ernest Kpodo, Staff Officer of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) at the Elubo border has called for an early completion of Egyirlkrom Refugee Camp near Elmina to solve the security threat the Ivorian refugees pose at the border.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at the Elubo border post, the Staff Officer said some of the Ivorian refugees were ex-combatants whose presence at the border posed a security threat.

Mr Kpodo said 12,180 Ivoirians and other nationals had been registered since January this year by GIS in conjunction with the Jomoro District Office of National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) at the borders and were currently based at Eagle Star Transit Camp at Elubo.

He said the Eagle Star camp was supposed to be a transit point but had now become a refugee camp due to congestion at the Ampain Refugee Camp, which compelled the rest of the refugees to remain at Elubo.

He said the authorities decided to establish a main camp at Egyirlkrom to accommodate all the refugees but work at the camp was yet to be completed, hence the call.

Mr Kpodo said the immigration authorities were re-registering the refugees at the Ampain Camp to ascertain whether those registered at the border were all resident in the camp.

He said the evacuation and resettlement of the refugees at Egyirlkkrom would enable the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the Ghana Government to accord them the refugee status.

Source: GNA