Liberia/Ghana: Memory-scarred Liberian refugees wary of returning

What started as a trickle of refugees to Ghana after the outbreak of the civil war in Liberia in 1989 became a flood of thousands which led to the creation of the Buduburam settlement, now one of West Africa's largest refugee camps. While the world watches the election race in Monrovia, the question in Buduburam is how many refugees will return. About 2,500 people have already returned under a voluntary repatriation agreement signed in October 2004 by Ghana, Liberia and the UNHCR. However, many are reluctant, recalling a previous 1997 repatriation which saw 4,000 refugees leave Buduburam only to return when hostilities broke out again. This time, the refugees want to see how the new president, whoever is elected, settles in before they make a move.