Minority Slams Unapproved Troop Deployments Abroad

Rev. John Ntim Fordjour

 

The Minority in Parliament has accused the government of sidelining Parliament in key national security decisions, following the deployment of Ghanaian troops to Benin and Jamaica without prior parliamentary approval.

Addressing a press conference in Parliament yesterday, the Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, said while the Minority has no objection to Ghana offering assistance to friendly countries, the constitutional procedures governing such deployments were ignored.

According to him, decisions involving the deployment of military personnel outside Ghana require prior consultation with, and approval by, Parliament to allow for transparency, accountability and scrutiny of the operational framework, duration and financial implications.

“We don’t have a problem with the principle of assisting other countries, but the procedures and due process must be followed,” Rev. Fordjour stressed, adding that Parliament was denied the opportunity to interrogate the modalities and cost of the deployments.

He questioned why Parliament was consulted when the government sought to procure military helicopters, but ignored when it decided to deploy troops to Benin and Jamaica. “What are they hiding?” he asked.

The Minority is demanding answers from the Minister for Defence and other relevant agencies on the legal protocols governing the Benin deployment, the number of troops involved, the duration of the mission and the cost to the state.

Rev. Fordjour further cast doubt on the effectiveness and propriety of the deployment, recalling a similar mission to Guinea-Bissau where Ghanaian troops were present when a coup eventually occurred.

“In a situation where a coup attempt had already happened in Benin, what impact will this post-factual deployment make, considering the cost to the nation?” he queried.

The Minority also criticised what it described as a show of force by security agencies on the streets of Accra, involving personnel from the military, police, fire service and immigration service.

Rev. Fordjour described the action as misplaced and inappropriate, especially given unresolved security flashpoints elsewhere in the country.

He cited areas such as Bawku and illegal mining sites, where security officers face real threats, as more deserving of decisive security operations than peaceful high streets in Accra, including areas around the Supreme Court and Accra High Courts.

According to him, the deployment of armoured vehicles and security personnel in the capital without consulting Parliament or the Defence and Interior Committee amounted to a waste of resources and achieved no meaningful objective.

Rev. Fordjour warned that the executive must not run the country as a one-party state, and urged the government to respect institutions of accountability.

He expressed concern about Ghana’s declining ranking on the Global Peace Index, noting that the country has slipped from being among the most peaceful nations in Africa.

The Minority called on the government to refocus its security efforts where they are most urgently needed and to take decisions that would restore Ghana’s reputation as one of the most peaceful countries on the continent.

 

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