The Vision Bearer of the People’s Liberation Party (PLP), Dr. Daniel E. Cassell, is calling on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the United Nations (UN), the International Red Cross, Medicine San Frontiers (MSF) and other humanitarian groups to intervene and engage the government of Ghana over its planned demolition of the infamous Buduburam Camp.
The government of Ghana has requested thousands of Liberians residing on the camp to vacate the camp, in line with the agreed deadline. The country’s security actors have embarked on a demolition exercise to compel them to relinquish the camp to make way for development initiatives.
But Dr. Cassell said regional and international bodies should swiftly intervene to ensure that the Ghanaian government exercises some level of restraint and due consideration, as they have done for the people of Liberia for several decades.
He noted that the engagement or intervention of these bodies will help to find the best solutions to ending the crisis and preventing thousands of Liberians from further “despair and trauma”.
His passionate plea was contained in a press statement issued in Monrovia on Tuesday, October 5, 2021.
“Consequently, In the spirit of the African Solidarity, which Ghana has pioneered for several decades, I, on behalf of the People’s Liberation Party (PLP), would like to seize this opportunity to humbly appeal to the government and people of Ghana to exercise restraint and due consideration as they have always graciously done for our people over twenty-plus years, to halt the on-going demolition exercise and allow negotiations to prevail from which a possible and amicable solution to end what now seems to be humanitarian crisis would be reached,” Dr. Cassell’s statement contained.
Dr. Cassell pointed out that, though all efforts to reclaim the land, which the Buduburam Camp sits on, borders on the sole purpose of national development, “the government and people of Ghana would never be happy to see thousands of homeless Liberians languish in the streets of Accra to the peril of their safety.
“Henceforward, we plea with them to pause the demolition in order to make way for possible intervention—to suitably bring this crisis under control. And while plead for the compassion of Ghana, we call on our people to remain calm and refrain from all acts that have the potential to further exacerbate the crisis afoot.”
He added that though the PLP and other well-meaning Liberians are not happy to see the homes of their fellow compatriots being demolished with no immediate hope of a reasonable alternative to salvage their well-being, the Government of Ghana must also be appreciated for the “incredible and historic show of generosity in hosting thousands of Liberian refugees in their country for well over twenty years”.
In every respect, he added, Liberia owes Ghana a depth of gratitude for such degree of kindness that cannot be quantified in any quantum.
Dr. Cassell further expressed his prayers and solidarity with fellows on the Buduburam Refugee Camp.
He pointed out that the People’s Liberation Party (PLP) will over the next few days dispatch its Acting National Vice Chairman for International Affairs to Accra, Ghana, to meet with fellow Liberians so as to assess the humanitarian conditions on the Camp.
According to him, the visitation will also help to establish how the party can effectively mobilize needed support for Liberians enduring this painful and demeaning condition.
“To the government and dear people of Ghana, I once again express abundant thanks and appreciation for all you have done for our people and plead with you to allow the ‘United Africa’ solidarity, championed by your Founding Father, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, to prevail now and always. We are One Africa, and Africa is home to all Africans, no matter which geographical location an African finds him/herself.”
At the same time, Dr. Cassell has expressed disappointment over the lukewarm attitude being shown towards the situation which currently persists in Ghana by the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC)-led government of President George Manneh Weah.
“While we make these SOS calls, I must state how appalled, stunned and disappointed I am yet again to see that, while Liberians are faced with a painful and unbearable humanitarian crisis in a foreign land, the George Weah-led government has said and done absolutely nothing to address the plight of its citizens on the Buduburam Refugee Camp.
“I would assume that considering the circumstances besetting our people, a responsible, sensitive and patriotic government would, by now, be deeply engaged with the government of Ghana to halt the demolition exercise and forge a workable outcome to ending this nightmare—suffice to say by now we expected to see representatives of the Weah government in Ghana comforting and instilling hope into our brothers and sisters, but sadly it seems the plight of Liberians both at home and abroad doesn’t matter to the government of Mr. George Weah as we recently saw how the government insensitively and recklessly responded to the scaring wave of mysterious ritualistic killings across the country,” the PLP Political Leader noted.
Dr. Cassell noted that it marvels Liberians that while young girls and ordinary citizens are being murdered in cold blood and body parts gruesomely abstracted, President Weah and his confidants are fabulously celebrating his birthday party for days, at the expense of the already strained national coffers.
“If such behavior is not irresponsible, insensitive, careless, wicked and unremorseful, I know no other way to describe the continual disposition of the Weah government,” Dr. Cassell lamented.