Disbandment, demolition of Buduburam refugee camp long overdue!

The Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan has joined calls for the total demolition of the Budumburam refugee camp due to the disturbing reports of alleged robbery and drug peddling in the area.

His call follows similar concerns by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gomoa East constituency, Kojo Asemanyi, and the Chief of Gomoa Budumburam, Nana Kojo Essel II, for the demolishing of the camp

Reports of armed robberies and attacks by miscreants in the area have become rife and alarming. They believe that until the camp is demolished, crime in the area will continue to escalate

The 141 acre piece of land, established in 1990, once housed about 12,000 refugees from Liberia who fled their country during the Liberian Civil War in the early 1990s

According to statistics from the Ghana Refugee Board, the settlement now has a population of about 1,300. Out of the total population, 600 are foreigners.

Mr. Duncan, speaking at the Regional Coordinating Council meeting in Cape Coast, said the call for the demolition of the camp had featured frequently during regional Security Council meetings.

He indicated that the camp had outlived its usefulness since it was no longer seen as a refugee camp in the country.

“We cannot as a region and country continue to look on when criminals use the area to terrorise people and also engage in other criminal activities in the area” he said.

The call by the regional minister follows the murder of two police officers as well as other criminal activities around Kasoa and its environs.

The current Budumburam community has been described as a “no go area”, especially at night. Many of the law-abiding residents have been forced place themselves under self-imposed curfew due to the numerous reports of attacks at night.

The Ghanaian Times supports the decision to close down the camp. We believe that the area can be redeveloped into a modern community and provided with the necessary infrastructure.

The demolition and redevelopment of the Budumburam Camp will, to a large extent, reduce the reports of alleged robberies and other vices in the community and provide decent accommodation for citizens.

The Central Regional Coordinating Council must collaborate with the Ghana Refugee Board to close the camp permanently and develop a plan to redevelop the community into a safe and modern community