Liberia: Somalian Refugees in Liberia turn street beggars
May 19, 2007
by Michael Kpayili / Staff Writer
With rather strange look in the faces of Liberians who are just graduating from civil hostilities, the influx of the light skin color as many may termed in Liberia as white people “Somalia Refugees” seen begging people at various street corners in Liberia is getting out of indefinite proportion.
Over the week, a local child rights advocacy organization, Fore-running of children’s universal Right for Survival (Focus) called on LRRRC and UNHCR to quickly move in to assist Somalia Refugees who are now surviving inhumanely through street begging around Monrovia and its surrounding cities.
According to information gathered from FOCUS, over 500 Somalia refugees mostly women and children fleeing the bloody war currently going on in the Somalia capital Mogadishu have arrived in Liberia via sea. It is not clear whether UNHCR or LRRRC is aware of their presence in Monrovia but their survival here is deteriorating by days indicated upon their physical conditions and constant harassment in street begging.
FOCUS further alarmed that those elderly Somalia refugees turn street beggars who are mainly women and children between the ages of 1-12 risk indecent treatment if their plight is not adhered to. According to a release from FOCUS, sexual exploitation of these children remains their primary focus. The children rights group noted that while the coming of these Somalia refugees might not have been registered with LRRRC and UNHCR as means of assisting them benefit from food ration, shelter and other attention, there was an urgent need for both organizations to swiftly address the needs of the refugees.
“If the two institutions do not remove these refugees from the streets in a relatively shorter period in time, especially during the rainy season, they might suffer from preventable disease that could lead to an outbreak of epidemic”, A FOCUS release maintained. It is sad seeing other Africans who suppose to be under the protection of the United Nations as the result of war their country being strangulated and barely surviving on a half day meal.
Rainy season is very difficult in Liberia and the way things are handled with these Somalia refugees are regrettable.




