The Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Sheka Tarawallie aka Shekito says it is the duty of the UN refugees agency, UNHCR, and the government of Sierra Leone to continue to engage Liberian refugees without judging them on the fact that the guns have gone silent in their country.
Addressing the committee meeting of UNHCR's high commissioner's programme in Geneva, Switzerland, Tarawallie urged the agency to continue handling refugee matters while the government would ensure a fair "individual refugee status determination process."
He said to that end, the government through the ministry of internal affairs was "looking at the possibility of providing residence and work permits on a gratis basis to 1,324 screened and locally-integrating Liberian refugees holding valid passports, " adding that the government was looking at the possibility of "providing a fairer and more efficient asylum system through the proposed amendment of the 2007 Refugee Protection Act."
Tarawallie said he was heartened to make such a statement because of his experience as an asylum seeker in the UK even after the war had been officially declared over in Sierra Leone. "There was a compelling reason for me as a journalist to resist a return home based on a hostile political environment for journalists at the time. And my past experience of imprisonment and death threats informed a justification of my asylum claims," the deputy minister noted.
He said that against such a background, he could understand why "some Liberian refugees, despite the current comparatively stable environment in Liberia, have still refused to return home."
Speaking on the issues of accession and ratification of the 1954 and 1961 statelessness conventions, the deputy minister said that his government and UNHCR would intensify "efforts in terms of training, awareness campaigns and lobbying of relevant stakeholders, particularly Parliamentarians, for the process to be fast-tracked." He noted however that the lack of financial support for the National Refugee Authority’s secretariat, one of the key administrative refugee machineries, "has been a serious challenge delaying the completion of the exemption process." He therefore called on the high commissioner to render some financial, logistical and technical support to the country "in ensuring the sustainability of our young asylum infrastructure, as Government intends to assume full responsibility for refugee protection and conclusion of the cessation process in 2014" in spite of the organisation's high priorities on emerging and protracted conflicts.
The deputy minister concluded his statement by "acknowledging the excellent working relationship" between Sierra Leone and refugee agency’s country office, which he said was evident in "the devolution of the protection responsibilities of refugees to the relevant state institutions and the continued capacity-building of our staff." He added that Sierra Leone was looking forward to the day when it would "move from an observer status to a full member of the UNHCR.
© Politico 08/10/13
