A good number of refugees interviewed told our correspondent about their desire to be re-repatriated to a third country while others revealed their yearning to be integrated into the Liberia community.

Some of the refugees pointed out that they are not sure whether Sierra Leone, despite the relative peace, is economically stable with prices of food and other basic commodities soaring almost on a daily basis.

But few others expressed fear of being targeted as a result of the roles they played during the country’ eleven year brutal civil war.

One of the refugees, Vincent Tommy, who claimed to have left the country since the war was officially declared over in 2002 asserted, “Sierra Leone might be safe for you but not for me and I don’t think I will ever return to that country.”

Another 60 year-old Alhaji Dukulay who said he crossed the Sierra Leone boarder into Liberia in 1991 revealed that the UNHCR had ceased rendering them assistance since 1994 adding that even their children are not attending schools because they can’t afford to pay their fees.

The refugees also said that they are merely struggling to survive in a settlement where human beings and filth co-habit with glee. But the UNHCR officials have denied their allegations stating that the refugees only want to give bad pictures about their situations in Liberia.

One Sierra Leonean however condemned the refugees for their stance of not returning home despite the various reasons advanced maintaining, “Some of them have become so lazy and dependent on donor aid that they prefer living as refugees and continue to ridicule our country. We now have peace and all of them should go home now.”


Keywords: sierra_leone liberia