Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has expressed his chagrin over comments made by Preisdent AKufo-Addo over secuity alliance between Burkina Faso and Russia mercenaries.
According to him, Ghana cannot afford to be seen as a meddlesome busybody in the ongoing contentious reassessment and reconfiguration of colonial ties with France and the forging of new relationships by some Francophone African nations.
He revealed that it’s most needless and unpardonable for a prominent and founding nation of the Non-Aligned Movement to be deliberately courting the wrath of Russia, Burkina Faso and their allies, particularly in a time of turbulent geopolitics and seeming recalibration of the world order.
“Ghana cannot afford to be seen as a meddlesome busybody in the ongoing contentious reassessment and reconfiguration of colonial ties with France and the forging of new relationships by some Francophone African nations.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Mr Ablakwa indicated that President Akufo-Addo ought to have been more tactical and diplomatically skillful in his comments about the alleged security alliance between Burkina Faso and Russia’s Wagner Group. This, he explained, was most certainly an avoidable faux pas.
“The President is very much aware of liberties that could be taken behind closed doors vis-à-vis the need to be more cautious and restrained when the cameras are on due to obvious ramifications.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
The North Tongu legislator wondered why President Akufo-Addo who was on this same US visit advocating the need for Africa to stop begging and look within for solutions to its challenges didn’t consider resolving his concerns within the AU or ECOWAS framework but “chose to seek the assistance of the Americans who are not the best of friends with the Russians—to put it mildly”.
Mr Ablakwa highlighted that due to the President’s comment, Ghana is witnessing very disturbing fallouts after the Burkinabe military regime summoned Ghana’s Ambassador today December 16, 2022, for explanations. He explained that indications from multiple sources are that Moscow is considering its own response.
“As Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Ghanaian Parliament, I do sincerely hope that urgent steps will be explored to mitigate the consequences of President Akufo-Addo’s faux pas.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Ghana summoned over President’s comment
Meanwhile, the government of Burkina Faso has summoned Ghana’s ambassador, Boniface Gambilla. Per the country’s state information agency, Mr Gambilla was summoned by the government of Apollinaire Kyelem over recent allegations made by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the US.
President Akufo-Addo, in a recent meeting with US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, raised concerns about the presence of Russian mercenaries on Ghana’s border with Burkina Faso. The President stated that “Russian mercenaries are on our northern border” and Burkina Faso has now entered into an arrangement to go AWOL with Mali in employing the Wagner forces there”.
Nonetheless, it is unclear if an official agreement has been signed between Burkina Faso officials and the Wagner group, who are said to be helping in the fight against terrorism. The group is a mercenary outfit run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The summons is to seek further clarifications on President Akufo-Addo’s claims and the Burkinabe ambassador to Ghana has also been recalled over the matter.
