Samuel Nartey George, the Member of Parliament for the Ningo-Prampram constituency, has urged President Akufo-Addo not to send Ghanaian troops to Niger as part of the ECOWAS standby force.
Sam George claims the Ghanaian military doesn’t have enough money and is not prepared for this “useless venture.”
The Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Communications Committee tweeted on August 16 that the President of Ghana should not send the country’s armed forces to their deaths. He urged President Akufo-Addo to value the military’s professionalism and not take it for granted.
“Dear President @NAkufoAddo, you know better than us all the pitiful state of our armed forces for a foreign military intervention in another sovereign state. You know that despite the professional attitude and disposition of our gallant officers, you have failed to retool and equip our forces,” he tweeted.
“Article 2(4) of the UN Charter prohibits the illegal action you and your cronies in ECOWAS are considering. Even if you wanted to hide under Article 42, do you have a UNSC resolution authorising an intervention? There is no clear evidence of the 3 basis required to trigger R2P, so respect the sovereignty of Niger.”
“A more pragmatic approach would be non-kinetic measures to engage and not the current aggressive stance to please your western puppet masters. Any decision to commit our men and women of the Ghana Armed Forces to a senseless and needless war would demand the approval of Parliament, and we demand same.”
If ECOWAS leaders give the go-ahead, the military chiefs will likely come up with a plan of attack in Niger. General Christopher Musa, the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Chief of Military Staff, has promised to take appropriate action.
“We must confront them head-on, dwell upon our shared experiences, wisdom and the strength of our collective resolve. Our decisions will be a strong message about our commitment to democracy, our intolerance for unconstitutional changes of government, and our dedication to regional stability,” he added.
On Thursday, August 17, 2023, the Chiefs of Defence Staff from ECOWAS member countries will gather in Accra to discuss options for a possible military intervention in Niger.
