ACCRA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said more than 500 refugees fleeing the unrest in the Republic of Togo had arrived in Ghana.
A statement received here on Friday said the UNHCR, is working with the authorities in Ghana to support over 500 recently arrived Togolese asylum-seekers, fleeing the recent political unrest in their country.
"So far, 513 asylum-seekers have been registered by the Ghanaian authorities, after arriving in remote northwestern parts of Ghana, including Chereponi, Zabzugu and Bunkprugu-Yunyou," the statement added.
Military in the former French colony of Togo have been cracking down on opposition supporters staging street protests against the alleged intention of President Faure Gnassingbe to extend his tenure by amending the constitution.
The statement said majority of those who have fled to Ghana were being hosted by local families and some in community centers.
"A joint UNHCR/Ghana Refugee Board mission is currently on its way to those remote areas to assess the situation. Togolese seeking safety, including women and children, told UNHCR staff that they had fled on foot, walking from their homes in Togo's Mango region, bordering Ghana. They said they were fleeing human rights abuses after the recent political protests," the statement said.
The government of Ghana, with local authorities and host communities according to the statement is providing the recent asylum seekers with emergency humanitarian aid including food and non-food items.
UNHCR said together with the Ghana Refugee Board (GRB) and the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), it continues to monitor the situation and is working on a response plan in case of an increase of arrivals, including the prepositioning of relief items.
With reports about refugee arrivals in both Benin and Burkina Faso as well, the UN refugee agency said it was working with authorities in those countries on emergency preparedness, including the development of contingency plans, in case of refugee influx in these countries.
