Fifteen Liberian refugees expelled from Ghana have arrived home in Liberia.
Ghana originally was expected to send home 30 Liberians who were arrested last week for fueling tensions at a refugee camp outside the capital, Accra. However, the Associated Press reports that 15 of the refugees were kept in Ghana because they had legitimate reasons to maintain their refugee status.
Ghanaian authorities say the refugees were among 600 rounded up for conducting a month-long protest in the Gomoa Buduburam refugee camp.
The refugees were demonstrating against a United Nations-funded program that provides refugees with a free trip and $100 to resettle in Liberia. Many refugees say they would rather settle in another country because they fear persecution at home.
U.N. officials have said large-scale resettlement outside Liberia is not an option, and that these refugees should make an effort to help rebuild their country.
Ghana says 40,000 Liberian refugees remain in the country, even though the Liberian civil war ended in 2003.
