The Member of Parliament for the North Tongu Constituency, Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has expressed worry about President Nana Akufo-Addo’s comments about Russia and Burkina Faso recently on a visit to the U.S.
In a post, on his Facebook wall, the lawmaker who is also a ranking member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said the President 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 was most certainly an avoidable faux pas” he added.
According to him, President Akufo-Addo 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.
In his view, it is 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 this time of turbulent geopolitics and seeming recalibration of the world order.
Also, he said 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.
Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa 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.
“Now we are witnessing very disturbing fallouts after the Burkinabe military regime summoned our Ambassador today for ‘explanations.’ 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.” Hon. Ablakwa stated.
Burkina Faso has summoned Ghana’s ambassador to protest allegations that the embattled Sahel nation has hired Russian mercenaries, the foreign ministry says.
The summons on Friday was issued after Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo alleged on Wednesday that Burkina Faso had hired the mercenaries.
“Today, Russian mercenaries are on our northern border. Burkina Faso has now entered into an arrangement to go along with Mali in employing the Wagner forces there,” Akufo-Addo said at the US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington.
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