US embassy cable - 03ACCRA719

UNCLAS ACCRA 000719 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR PRM, GENEVA FOR RMA, ABIDJAN AND NAIROBI FOR 
REFCOORDS, ROME FOR INS, CONAKRY FOR RIOS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: GV, IO, PREF, refugees 
SUBJECT: UNHCR/ACCRA READOUT ON POSSIBLE P-2 GROUP IN GUINEA 
 
 
 (U)  1.  Summary:  UNHCR/Accra officer Catherine Hammon 
provided a read-out on her recent trip to Guinea to assess 
refugee groups on possible resettlement needs.  Hammon was 
positive that some 600 refugees from both Conakry and Dabola 
could be categorized and identified clearly as a Priority 2 
group for referral to the USG.  While hard-file case review 
would need to be conducted due to shortcomings in 
registration efforts, if given the proper attention, UNHCR 
could work speedily to identify the group for resettlement. 
USG support for this effort is encouraged in order to not 
only help this group in need but also to strengthen the 
legitimacy of UNHCR/Accra's regional resettlement role in 
West Africa.  End summary. 
 
 (U)  2.  Regional Refugee Coordinator for Admissions met 
with Catherine Hammon and Peter Trotter of UNHCR/Accra's 
regional resettlement division to discuss findings from 
Hammon's recent mission to Guinea.  The purpose of Hammon's 
trip was to assess the potential for identifying groups in 
the country for third country resettlement. Hammon focused on 
Liberian refugees who had been multiply displaced within 
Sierra Leone and Guinea.  Hammon determined that some 200 
were living in Conakry while another 400 resided in Dabola. 
 
(U) 3.  The 200 Liberian refugees in Conakry have been 
through a registration but the electronic data gathered on 
them by UNHCR is minimal.  Since UNHCR sees the condition of 
quote multiply displaced end quote as the identifier in 
recognizing these refugees as a set group it is imperative to 
research hard copy files to determine the extent to which 
they were displaced. 
 
(U) 4.  The 400 Liberian refugees in Dabola have also been 
through a registration and once again, the electronic data 
gathered is minimal.  Hammon believes the actual number of 
refugees in this group might be smaller than the commonly 
accepted figure of 650, as some may have registered twice in 
hopes of getting additional ration cards.  As a result, 
Hammon has asked the UNHCR officer in Dabola to conduct an 
informal information gathering exercise of the Liberians in 
the camp to determine actual numbers and history of flight. 
Hammon stressed that the exercise was not/not conducted in a 
manner that would indicate an interest by UNHCR in eventual 
resettlement of the population.  While the totals are not in, 
Hammon expects the number of 650 to reduce to approximately 
400 who would meet the definition of multiply displaced. 
 
(U)  5.  Since the UNHCR database for both groups does not 
capture the origin of displacement, Hammon feels it would be 
necessary to cross-reference hard copy files that are being 
stored in Conakry.  In addition, she feels that 
UNHCR/Freetown could be called upon to assist as well since 
it maintains some old documents on this caseload from when it 
was in Sierra Leone.  Acknowledging that it could be a 
tedious task, Hammon nevertheless is optimistic that the 
necessary information could be gathered within a couple 
months. 
 
(U) 6.  Comment:  Hammon's assessment mission to Guinea is 
the first in hopefully more missions to come from 
UNHCR/Accra's regional resettlement office.  Indeed, this is 
the signal that needs to be sent out indicating a tangible 
change in UNHCR thinking on resettlement in the region. 
While the population is not necessarily large in comparison 
to past P-2 groups, it is important that the USG support this 
effort in order to not only assist this needy group but to 
further legitimize UNHCR/Accra's role in the region and 
capitalize on the momentum set for identifying P-2 groups in 
W. Africa. End comment. 
YATES