CROWDVOICE

In November 2012, a ten-person team from the Human Rights Advocacy Centre (HRAC) visited the Ampain Refugee Camp to examine circumstances surrounding the arrest of 42 suspected ex-combatants on 13 October 2012. On the same date, HRAC conducted a fact-finding study to assess general conditions at the camp. In conducting the monitoring visit, the HRAC team interviewed 40 refugees and 10 representatives of organisations associated with managing the camp. 23 of the refugees interviewed were among those arrested on 13 October 2012. Findings from these interviews, along with extensive further research and responses from the Ghana Refugee Board and UNHCR Ghana, form the basis of a 40-page report the HRAC is releasing on the occasion of World Refugee Day 2013. Background Since November 2010 over 300,000 Ivoirians have been displaced by intensified political fighting. Of this number, at least 18,000 have crossed over the border into Ghana. At present, there are approximately 9,000 Ivoirian asylum seekers resident in Ghana. In March 2011, the Ghana Refugee Board opened the Ampain Refugee Camp in Ghana’s Western Region to accommodate some of the Ivoirian asylum seekers. Ampain Refugee Camp is an unfenced facility, which currently holds around 4,200 refugees, but has in the past accommodated up to 6,700 people. On 13 October 2012, the Bureau of National Investigations ordered the arrest of 42 of the asylum seekers resident at Ampain Refugee Camp, alleging they were ex-combatants. The 42 men were moved to Ankaful Maximum Security Prison and held there without charge for between 23 and 62 days. Information available to HRAC indicates that at least one suspected ex-combatant is still remaining at Ankaful Prison and has not yet been formally charged. Findings Through conducting on-site interviews, HRAC ascertained that during the arrests of suspected Ivorian ex-combatants, Ghanaian police officers failed to provide grounds for arrest or access to legal representation. This is in violation of the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana which states at section 14 that “a person who is arrested, restricted or detained shall be informed immediately, in a language that he or she understands, of the reason for his arrest, restricted or detained and his right to a lawyer of his choice.” The arrests of 13 October 2012 were also in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Ghana is a signatory. The ICCPR states at Article 9 that “anyone who is arrested shall be informed, at the time of his or her arrest and shall promptly be informed of the charges against him.” On 5 November 2012, 30 of those arrested were returned to the camp while 11 remained in police custody until their release on December 14 2012. One of the suspected ex-combatants remains at Ankaful Prison. The apparently arbitrary nature of the arrests on 13 October 2012 has led to a climate of fear and paranoia at Ampain Refugee Camp, with 95% of residents reporting they feel “unsafe” at the camp. The HRAC team also discovered that 78% of refugees at the camp believe living conditions are “very bad.” Interviewees reported problems with scarcity of food, inadequate shelter, sanitation and unsafe drinking water. Two interviewees also reported that prostitution has been taking place at the camp, an allegation which HRAC believes warrants further investigation by the Ghana Refugee Board and the Ghana Police Service. The HRAC report also found that sanitation facilities at the camp are inadequate. UNHCR Ghana has stated that are 120 toilet or pit hole facilities at the Ampain refugee camp creating a ratio of approximately 1 facility for every 33 persons. This ratio is well in excess of the 1 to 20 ratio recommended by the Sphere Project Minimum Standard in Humanitarian Response. During the conduct of the survey, HRAC interviewers learned that a number of diseases are present at the camp, including dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, typhoid and diarrhoea. A seasonal soil borne infestation affecting peoples’ feet, known in the local parlance as “jiga jiga” or “tantamas”, was also reported to be a widespread problem, with prevalence among school‐age children particularly high. Recommendations: Based upon the information presented in the report HRAC makes the following recommendations: Any suspected ex-combatants remaining at Ankaful Maximum Security Prison must be either formally charged or released back to Ampain Refugee Camp. Those who are charged must be placed under Court supervision to ensure human rights protection. The Government of Ghana and the Ghana Refugee Board must commit to following UNHCR guidelines on the applicable criteria and standards relating to the detention of asylum-seekers; In order to uphold the principle against non-refoulement contained in the 1951 Refugee Convention, Ivorian refugees in Ghana should be permitted to remain in the country until such time as it is deemed to be safe for them to return to Cote d’Ivoire; The Ghana Refugee Board and UNHCR must address the climate of confusion and paranoia which has surfaced in Ampain Refugee Camp as a result of the apparently arbitrary nature of the arrests on 13 October 2012; The Ghana Refugee Board must ensure that all refugees at the camp have access to clean drinking water in order to reduce the prevalence of diarrhoea caused by non-potable bore water. Refugees should also be provided with soap; The Ghana Refugee Board must thoroughly investigate allegations of prostitution taking place at Ampain Refugee Camp; Food rations must be increased and maintained to improve the level of food security at the camp; Disabled people living at Ampain Camp must be provided with treatment and care which protects and befits their health and dignity From HRACGhana.org: paste