Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Foreign Affairs Minister
The government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, says it has had no interactions with the UK government aimed at deploying soldiers to Ghana for purposes of operations.
It noted that the presence of the UK Minister of Armed Forces James Heappey in Accra was to participate in the just-ended Accra Initiative conference.
The Ministry, in a statement, described as false a publication by some news outlets that the British government had taken a decision to send 300 special forces units to Ghana to support the Accra Initiative following its withdrawal from Mali in the wake of frosty relations with Bamako over the involvement of Russian mercenaries in the fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel.
“The Government of Ghana wishes to state that the information regarding the British special forces is false. Neither Ghana nor any other member of the Africa Initiative has discussed with any partner, any such request nor contemplated the involvement of foreign forces in any of their activities,” it noted.
Clarification
The Ministry, concerned that some persons on social media had already leaped on the back of the false news item to spread vile accusations against the Ghanaian government, has urged “all patriotic Africans, including Ghanaian patriots, not to fall into the trap of disinformation, misinformation, and fake news that are intended to divide our societies and undermine our unity of purpose.”
“While the member states of the Initiative appreciate the partnerships they share with the international community, either on an individual basis or collectively, the kinds of support envisaged under the Accra Initiative will not extend to the involvement of foreign troops,” it said.
The Ministry further said that Mr Heappey had already clarified the position of the UK soldiers in an interview with the BBC World Service.
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