The report that the Special Forces of the United Kingdom are coming to Ghana to protect the area against terrorism has been denied by the government of Ghana.
British soldiers are anticipated in Ghana following their departure from Mali, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration on Tuesday, November 22, 2022.
“The Telegraph’s Africa correspondent, Will Brown, wrote a story in which it was revealed that the British Government had decided to send 300 Special Forces units to Ghana in order to support the Accra Initiative.
The statement stated that “The Government of Ghana has no engagements with the UK Government intended to send UK soldiers to Ghana for the purposes of operations as indicated in the narrative.”
Explaining “The Accra Initiative,” the Ghanaian government stated in a press release with the official seal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “The Accra Initiative (AI) is a cooperative and collaborative security mechanism, launched in 2017 under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Afufo-Addo, with his colleagues from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, and Togo. Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivore, Ghana, Togo, Mali, and Niger are the Initiative’s current members.
The Accra Initiative, according to the release, “aims to prevent a spillover of terrorism from the Sahel and to fight transnational organized crime inside the common border areas of member states,” among other things.
The Accra Initiative is an African-led, African-executed initiative that would solely rely on the armed forces of its member states, it added. “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 UK Minister for Armed Forces and Veterans, James Heappey, visited the country, which the government addressed in response to a significant section of the widely circulated report.
According to the press release, among other things, the Accra Initiative “aims to prevent a spillover of terrorism from the Sahel and to battle transnational organized crime inside the common border areas of member states.”
The Accra Project would only rely on the armed forces of its member states and is an African-led, African-executed initiative, it was underlined. The purpose of the Initiative is to increase intelligence exchange, develop capacity, and launch military operations against terrorist elements in the Sahel that pose a threat to coastal West Africa.
James Heappey, the UK’s Minister for Veterans and the Armed Forces, visited the nation after the government responded to a major portion of the widely disseminated study.
Ghana’s government issued a warning, saying, “We urge all patriotic Africans, including patriotic Ghanaians, to not fall into the trap of disinformation, misinformation, and fake news that are intended to divide our societies and undermine our unity of purpose.”
Recognizing the “partnerships” the Accra Initiative’s signatories “share with the international community, either individually or collectively,” The Accra Initiative’s support will not include the participation of foreign troops, the statement stated categorically.
In order to support its position, the Ministry headed by Ms. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey cited that: “In fact, the British Minister for Armed Forces, Rt Hon James Heappey, clarified that position today in an interview he granted the BBC World Service.”
Source: newsthemegh.com