The MP for Ningo Prampram has warned President Akufo-Addo against the “illegal” deployment of Ghanaian soldiers to Niger on a military intervention mission to die a “premature death.”
According to the legislator, the president would need Parliament’s approval to make such a decision, and any other decision would be illegal. In a message on his Twitter page, George stated that the basis on which the constitution allows the president to engage the country’s uniformed men in any operation in another sovereign country has not been met.
“Do not send them to untimely and unnecessary death! Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter prohibits the illegal action you and your ECOWAS friends are contemplating. Even if you wanted to hide under Article 42, do you have a UN Security Council resolution authorizing intervention? There is no clear evidence of the 3 bases required to trigger the R2P, so respect Niger’s sovereignty.
“Any decision to engage our men and women from the Ghana Armed Forces in a senseless and needless war would require parliamentary approval, and we demand it,” he wrote on Wednesday, August 16th.
Referring to the late President Evans Atta Mills’ popular “Dzi wo fie asem” (mind your own business) stance in a similar situation in Libya in 2011 when rebel forces invaded the compound of the country’s leader, Colonel Gaddafi, in Tripoli during an upheaval that ultimately led to his assassination, Sam George urged the president to avoid meddling in another sovereign country’s affairs.
“A more pragmatic approach would involve non-kinetic measures for engagement, not the current aggressive stance to please your Western puppeteers. Focus our meager resources on improving the lives of Ghanaians and stop poking your nose into our country’s affairs. Dzi wo fie asem, Mr. President,” he warned.
He reminded President Akufo-Addo of the sorry state of the Ghanaian armed forces in terms of equipment and urged him to focus on their re-equipping rather than pushing them into a difficult situation that could lead to the death of officers.
“You know better than all of us the pitiable state of our armed forces for foreign military intervention in another sovereign state. You know that despite the professional attitude and readiness of our brave officers, you have failed to equip our forces,” he asserted.
ECOWAS has clearly indicated it would use its standby military forces to restore democracy in Niger after diplomatic means failed. Security analysts and diplomatic experts have advised against the use of force, warning it could backfire and worsen the insecurity situation in the West African sub-region.
The government of Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown a few weeks ago, and he has been under house arrest since, with many citizens of the country declaring their support for the military junta.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that the junta has declared its readiness for talks with the regional bloc. It has also announced that it will pursue Mohamed Bazoum for high treason.
