US embassy cable - 05ACCRA828

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NUMBER OF TOGOLESE REFUGEES SWELLS TO 16,000

Identifier: 05ACCRA828
Wikileaks: View 05ACCRA828 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Accra
Created: 2005-05-03 18:06:00
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Tags: GH BN TO PREF
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

031806Z May 05

 
ACTION PRM-00   

INFO  LOG-00   AF-00    AID-00   CIAE-00  DODE-00  EB-00    EUR-00   
      UTED-00  TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    L-00     NSAE-00  NSCE-00  
      OIC-00   PM-00    PRS-00   P-00     SP-00    SS-00    STR-00   
      TRSE-00  PMB-00   DRL-00   G-00     SAS-00     /000W
                  ------------------E8CDD4  032112Z /23    
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8413
INFO ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 
UNCLAS ACCRA 000828 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: GH, BN, TO, PREF 
SUBJECT: NUMBER OF TOGOLESE REFUGEES SWELLS TO 16,000 
 
REF: A. A) COTONOU 409 
 
     B. B) ACCRA 800 
 
1.  Refugees continue to surge across Togo's borders with 
Benin and Ghana.  According to UNHCR, the number in Benin 
reached 9,874 as of 10 p.m. on May 2, an increase of 799 in 
one day.  Observers are bracing for another wave after Togo's 
constitutional court rules some time today on the validity of 
the elections. 
 
2.  In a major shift to the west, the daily exodus of 
Togolese into Ghana has accelerated from 200 to about 2,000 
per day.  Most of these are women or children, fleeing on 
foot at the Aflao border station adjacent to Lome.  Although 
7,438 have registered, UNHCR Representative Thomas Albrecht 
put the current total number at 6,000 to account for the 
double registration of refugees who have engaged in multiple 
border crossings.  Albrecht pointed out that many refugees 
are still working day jobs in Lome but are spending the 
evenings in Ghana's Volta Region, where they feel safer. 
Fortunately, the mass exodus had not yet taxed the 
humanitarian infrastructure; except for 100 refugees 
sheltered at a school in Aflao, the large majority were 
staying with family and friends and had not requested any 
UNHCR assistance. 
 
YATES 
 
 
NNNN 

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