Anti-terrorism troops
ACCRA, Nov 23 (NNN-GNA) — The Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has reacted to a report by the UK Telegraph suggesting that Britain was set to deploy troops to Ghana, from its shut down operations in Mali.
The report cited a recent visit by British ministers to Accra as being part of moves to hammer out the new security agreement “which will position Ghana and by extension Burkina Faso as the new frontline against terrorism.”
It continued in part: “It is unclear if the move is a face-saving operation in the wake of the mission in Mali being shut down or something more significant as British forces already train troops in Ghana.”
The Ghana Foreign Affairs Ministry’s statement, however, denied that there were any such plans.
“The Government of Ghana has no interactions with the UK Government aimed at deploying UK soldiers to Ghana for purposes of operations as described in the story.
“The Government of Ghana wishes to state that the information regarding British special forces is false,” the statement read in part.
It also explained the purpose of the visit by the UK Minister for Armed Forces to Accra as part of the regional security summit called the ‘Accra Initiative.’
“The Initiative aims to prevent a spill over of terrorism from the Sahel and to address transnational organized crime within the common border areas of member states. The initiative is to further exchange intelligence, build capacity and undertake military action against terrorist forces in the Sahel that threaten coastal west Africa. The Accra Initiative is an African-led, African-executed initiative which would depend solely on the armed forces of its member states.
“The presence of the UK Minister for the Armed Forces in Accra, was to participate in the Accra Initiative Conference on 21st and 22nd November 2022,” it further clarified.
The statement also called on peddlers of fake news and misinformation on the issue to desist from doing so but to rather support efforts at ensuring durable security against terrorist threats. — NNN-GNA
