Government, UNHCR officials cleared to board “refugee” ship

The government of Benin authorised on Monday a joint delegation of its foreign affairs and interior ministries officials as well as those of the UNHCR to board a ship carrying between 120 and 160 people claiming to be Liberian refugees. Officials at the UNHCR regional office in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, told IRIN that the visit was cleared for Tuesday. An official from the UNHCR said the UN refugee agency must interview the passengers to determine their nationality and status, particularly if they are seeking asylum. It is only after this preliminary screening that UNHCR can decide whether or not to intervene on the passenger’s behalf. They arrived in Benin on board the privately-owned Swedish registered ship, the MV Alnar. The ship first docked briefly on 10 June at Tema Harbour, Ghana, where Ghanaians, Nigerians and Sierra Leoneans were allowed off. However, the Ghanaian government denied the Liberians entry, saying they were illegal immigrants. Some of the 16,000 Liberian refugees in Ghana have fallen foul of the authorities, since their recent clash with police and the host community over the alleged killing of a Liberian refugee by a Ghanaian.