Concerns concerning the deportations of hundreds of Burkinabe people, primarily women and children, who sought shelter and refuge in Ghana have been raised by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
UNHCR requests that the Government of Ghana put an end to these expulsions, which violate the principle of non-refoulement, and grant access to the country and asylum to Burkinabe individuals in need of international protection.
A fundamental principle of international law known as non-refoulement forbids returning a refugee or asylum seeker to nations where his life or freedom would be in danger.
Over 8,000 Burkinabe citizens who sought refuge on Ghana’s soil due to the ongoing turmoil in their country of birth have been protected there thanks to collaboration between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Ghanaian government.
A Reception Center with a capacity of 4,000 people has been opened in the Upper East Region as part of this collaboration to move Burkinabe refugees away from the border for security reasons. It is jointly supervised by the Ghana Refugee Board and UNHCR.
Ghana has a long history of fulfilling its commitments under international law to refugees, and UNHCR is prepared to assist the government in meeting the needs of citizens of Burkina Faso who are fleeing the current conflict.
