An astute member of the communication team of the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) and NADMO Coordinator for the Adentan Municipal Assembly, Hamphrey Ankamah Sarpong has described comment passed by Ghana’s former Ambassador to the United States of America, Ambassador Ohene Agyekum condemning President Akufo Addo on the comment he made at the just ended US and African leaders summit in relation to the Russian Wargner Mercenaries Group operating in Burkina Faso fighting the Jihadist as unsovereign, undiplomatic and lacks intellectual bases.
The former Ambassador said president Akufo Addo needed to consider the African Union(AU and the Economic Community of the West African States(ECOWAS) before commenting on the issue on an International platform.
‘’Our president Akufo Addo needed to have considered the AU and the ECOWAS interest before making such comment on an international platform’’ he fumed
President Akufo-Addo told the international press on Wednesday, December 14, 2022 alongside U.S.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Burkina Faso had hired the mercenaries. Burkina Faso has now entered into an arrangement to go along with Mali in employing the Wagner forces there,” Akufo-Addo said. Akufo-Addo said the issue presented a viable national security threat for Ghana. Wagner has been engaged by Mali to help fight the Islamist militants.
This comment passed by the president has been condemned by many. In a twitter post, the Russian embassy in Ghana posted a critical opinion piece on its Twitter page, slamming the comment by President Akufo Addo. The article seems to suggest that the comments by Akufo-Addo is planned, masterminded by the West led by the US.
Speaking to journalist Mr. Ankamah said that president Akufo Addo has not committed any error in passing that comment.He said he is the president of a sovereign Ghana which positioned him as the Commander –in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces and has the responsibility to protect his country from external aggression and so therefore he has every right to make a contribution in international discourse.
According to him, Ambassador Agyekum is aware of the operations of this swift Wagner in Central Africa Republic, Mali and Burkina Faso which we share territorial boundary and economic ties with. He said the ambassador also forgot the activities of the group against civilians when they attack a country which includes, killing, raping and looting of civilians.
Mr. Ankamah bemoaned the comment passed by the former ambassador as so unfortunate and those who appointed him as an ambassador has done a great disservice to the nation.
‘’Those who appointed him as an ambassador to the service has done a great disservice to this country’’ he said.
