U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 2002 - Togo
| Publisher | United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants |
| Publication Date | 10 June 2002 |
| Cite as | United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 2002 - Togo , 10 June 2002, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3d04c15530.html [accessed 8 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Togo hosted more than 10,000 refugees at the end of 2001, the vast majority from Ghana.
Approximately 2,000 Togolese refugees remained outside the country at year's end, including nearly 1,000 in Benin and up to 1,000 in Ghana.
Refugees from Ghana
Ethnic conflict in northern Ghana forced some 15,000 Ghanaians into Togo in 1994. Approximately 10,000 remained in northern Togo at the end of 2001.
Most refugee families lived in northern Togo among local residents and were economically self-sufficient. The government of Ghana invited the refugees to repatriate in 1999, but relatively few did so during 2000-2001. An assessment team composed of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the governments of Togo and Ghana visited refugee communities in April 2001 to begin registration for repatriation. About 500 refugees indicated an interest in eventual repatriation, which is scheduled to begin in 2002.
Humanitarian aid generally consisted of schooling for children, health services, and access to fields for farming.
General Refugee Issues
About 1,000 urban refugees of various nationalities received food, housing, and health care assistance during the year. Budget constraints forced UNHCR to cancel projects that attempted to help refugees generate income.
In June, Togolese authorities blocked entry to a ship carrying about 150 Liberians. UNHCR expressed concern that some passengers might have been asylum seekers and unsuccessfully attempted to interview them.
The Togolese government continued to make arrangements to implement a new refugee law approved in late 2000. Authorities took steps to establish a National Eligibility Committee during the year that will eventually determine the status of individual asylum seekers.
Refugees from Togo
About 1,000 Togolese refugees and asylum seekers remained in exile during 2001. Most departed during 1993 as part of a wave of 200,000 refugees who fled the government's violent crackdown against a pro-democracy movement. Many Togolese who remained refugees in 2001 were prominent opponents of the ruling regime and were unlikely to repatriate soon.
