Ahead of the presidential election scheduled to take place in Côte d’Ivoire in October this year, Ivorian nationals have started running to Ghana to seek asylum as they apparently anticipated there could be political instability and violence due to the polls.
Some 172 Ivorians have so far moved to Ghana over the past two weeks, seeking Asylum.
Those who have so far arrived in Ghana are being hosted at the Ampain Refugee Camp in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region.
The Ghana Refugee Board’s Executive Secretary, Tetteh Padi, confirmed the arrival of the Ivorians.
According to him, the Ivorian asylum seekers believe the current political tension in their home country “could get worse”.
Speaking to Ghana’s state-owned newspaper, Daily Graphic, Mr. Padi says
“We have some Ivorians who have come into the country to seek asylum based on the fact that they predict or believe that there is a bit of tension leading up to the presidential election.”
According to him, “They think that it could get worse, so they have come into the country to seek asylum.”
Incumbent President Alassan Ouattara is seeking a controversial fourth term of office, a development that’s already causing immense political tension in Côte d’Ivoire, especially in Abidjan and other major cities.
Making the situation worse is the decision by the Ivorian electoral body to ban several key opposition leaders, including former President Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, from contesting in the presidential election.
Côte d’Ivoire also known as Ivory Coast has a nasty history of political violence and civil war. Its 2010 post-election war left an estimated 3,000 people dead and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes, with many seeking refuge in Ghana.
Source: Africa Publicity
