Govt Officials Visit Victims Whose Homes Were Demolished In Gomoa Budumburam; Condemn Inhumane Act Of The Elders Of Gomoa Fetteh

OFFICIALS of the Central Regional Security Council, Central Regional Coordinating Council in Cape Coast, Gomoa East Assembly, opinion leaders representing government of Ghana were on Thursday February 29, 2024 toured the scene of the demolition exercise at the Gomoa Budumburam to officially ascertain the this life-threatening situation.

The delegation also visited various classrooms of the school facilities for where thousands of victims of Gomoa Budumburam demolition exercise have hijacked or occupied.

The delegation, according to information to Soireenews.com condemned the demolition of buildings in the land at Gomoa Budumburam funded by some unaccredited elders from the Gomoa Fetteh.

During the visit, the delegation listened to the local community in Gomoa Budumburam, where representatives of the community discussed the continuous intimidation and violence they face from elders of the Gomoa Fetteh and marauding land-guards.

The delegation witnessed the impact of the current displacement of about 700 Liberians and Ghanaians at Gomoa Budumburam.

The visit follows after the officials of Central Regional Coordinating Council on Wednesday February 28, 2024 summoned the Gomoa East District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr. Solomon Darko Quarm and self acclaimed elders of the Gomoa Fetteh to substantial the reasons of carrying unlawful exercise without court order.

Mr. Solomon Darko Quarm and these self acclaimed elders of the Gomoa Fetteh have incurred the wrath of Central Regional Coordinating Council to carry out unlawful and illegal demolition exercise which made about 700 Liberians and Ghanaians at Gomoa Budumburam to been rendered homeless.

They indicated that the DCE used his executive position to support those self seeking elders of Gomoa Fetteh with the supervision by a combined team of military and police personnel to carry out this unlawful and illegal exercise.

This action of the DCE and elders of the Gomoa Fetteh had angered the Central Regional Coordinating Council, informing the decision of the Council to summon the DCE and the elders of the Gomoa Fetteh Traditional to appear before the Council.

Tears welled up in the eyes of people living in Budumburam in the Gomoa East Municipality of the Central Region upon seeing their building structures being demolished by unaccredited elders of the Gomoa Fetteh Traditional Council on February 27, 2024.

Buduburam is a refugee camp located 44 kilometers (27 mi) west of Accra, Ghana. It is along the Accra-Cape Coast Highway.

The heartbreaking exercise, has made about 700 Liberians and Ghanaians at Gomoa Budumburam to been rendered homeless as a result of a demolition exercise.

The Soireenews.com gathered that the  exercise was aimed at creating space for the development of a market for traders who have been affected by the ongoing expansion of the Kasoa-Winneba Highway.

But the rightfully accredited and principal elders of the Abor Ewusi Royal family of Gomoa Fetteh who are allodial owners of the said land in question at Gomoa Budumburam strongly kicked against the demolition exercise.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday February 28, 2024 to set the record straight about the matter, the newly installed Principal Head of Abor Ewusi Royal family of Gomoa Fetteh, Nana Ewusi questioned the credibility of those self seeking elders of the Gomoa Fetteh Traditional Council who had ordered for the exercise to be done.

"I am now the current Principal Head of Abor Ewusi Royal family of Gomoa Fetteh and that what l am saying is that this exercise being carried in the supervision by a combined team of military and police personnel was unlawful and illegal. Because l personally or the principal elders of the family have received no notice from those unaccredited elders prior to demolition of the building structures in the area.

"So we, the rightfully and allodial owners of the said land of where the building structures were demolished are going to use all legal means to ensure that this land is not being used to create space for the development of a market for traders who have been affected by the ongoing expansion of the Kasoa-Winneba Highway because the elders of the area who ordered for the exercise did unthinkable and unlawful things," Nana Nana Ewusi vowed.

He stated that the rightful and accredited elders of the Abor Awusi family were not aware of the demolition exercise which was carried to pull down building structures on the said land.

The Gomoa Fetteh Traditional Council last week threatened to demolish portions of Zone E of the Budumburam camp to make way for the development of a market for traders who have been affected by the ongoing expansion works on the Kasoa-Winneba Highway.

The Traditional Authority laments that the activities of these market women along the stretch are impeding the work of contractors working on the expansion of the highway.

The traditional council carried through with the threat today by demolishing several structures at the Liberia Camp.

Meanwhile, some members of the community who have been affected by the exercise say they were taken by surprise as they blame the traditional council for extending the exercise beyond the zones that were marked earlier.

According to them, about 600 Liberian nationals no longer have places to lay their heads as a result of the exercise.

“We’ve been displaced now and our homes have been destroyed. We don’t have anywhere to go, and we want the government to do something about the exercise,” Jamal George, a displaced resident, told this paper.

Leadership of the Liberian Community accused the Ghanaian government of neglecting them.

They believe the demolition exercise is a clandestine move by the government and the traditional council to kick them out of the settlement.

For them, the demolition exercise is an affront to the UN’s convention on refugee settlements.

Several persons, most especially the aged who are weak and fragile, have become more vulnerable as there will be no place for them to lay their heads.

They are thus seeking shelter at some basic schools in the Buduburam community, arguing that those schools were established for the purpose of the existence of the refugee camp.

Thousands of residents at Gomoa Budumbra in the Central Region have been rendered homeless after a combined team of military and police personnel supervised a demolition exercise in the area.

The residents, who had built their mashift homes in the area, lamented they received no warning prior to demolition of their building structures.

Some visibly worried residents said they have no place to sleep.

“We were given no warning notice, they have demolished all our houses, we are stranded, we don’t have any place to go,”the residents lamented.