107 Refugees return to Liberia

Accra, Sept 14 96 One hundred and seven Liberian refugees made up of 57 females and 50 females with various vulnerabilities and special needs, making it difficult for them to travel by sea left Accra by air for Monrovia bringing the total number of those repatriated from Ghana this year to 1,724.

The repatriation exercise forms part of bi-monthly movement of Liberian refugees to their home country - a collaborative effort of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); Government of Ghana; Government of Liberia and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

According to UNHCR statement, Nigerian based Changchagi Airline, which left Accra to Monrovia at 1300 hours on Thursday with the refugees, was specifically chartered for the vulnerable- mainly medical cases, unaccompanied children, the elderly and physically challenged persons.

UNHCR intends to continue with a combination of safe sea and air travel, twice monthly to repatriate Liberian refugees, who express their willingness to return home.

Thousands of Liberian Refugees have embarked on the voluntary repatriation to join their families, friends and loved ones who also left on the voluntary repatriation programme, with Ghana repatriating 4,206 thus far.

Each convoy of arrivals in Liberia was received at a transit centre and an assistance package which included the first part of a four-month food ration, household items and basic tools to support their reintegration.

The measures are aimed at providing Liberian refugees with the opportunity to rebuild their lives back home in a sustainable manner. The UNHCR said it would continue promoting the voluntary repartition of Liberian Refugees in Ghana until June 2007.