Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service)- The flow of refugees from Togo towards Benin and Ghana, which rose to a total 32,000 from the 26,084 registered last week, appears to have stabilised according to the UN High Commission for Refugees UNHCR which said that in this past week no new arrivals were seen in Ghana. However - after verification on the part of a mobile monitoring and registration unit earlier this week, which took into account all the new arrivals, included those from very remote areas or by means of unofficial border crossings - the number of refugees is estimated at 14,964 compared to last week’s10,866. A mobile monitoring and registration unit comprising operators of UNHCR, NGOs and government continues its activity of border monitoring and contacting refugees arrived earlier.
At Lipke-Todorme district of Hohoe a group of 237 refugees was localised and registered. Almost all the refugees in Ghana stay with relations or friends whose resources are rapidly diminishing however. UNHCR is supplying these families with food and other aid so they can continue to shelter the refugees. In Benin, at the moment there are 17,000 refugees and at Hilakondji - main border post - about one hundred a day continue to arrive. Refugees continue to flow into the capital Cotonou, where 847 refugees were registered in the last two days. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 21/5/2005 righe 24 parole 288)
