Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has accused Burkina Faso of inviting in mercenaries from Russian firm Wagner, reported The TRT World.
During a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Akufo-Addo described the deployment as distressing.
President Akufo-Addo said Russian mercenaries were on Ghana’s northern border. He said as per his information, the Wagner group had been offered a mine in southern Burkina Faso as a form of payment for services, presumably fighting Islamist militants.
During the meeting, Ghana’s President Mr. Akufo-Addo described the development as particularly worrying as Ghana is against Russia’s Ukraine invasion. The Wagner Group already operates in Mali and the Central African Republic, where it has been accused by activists of human rights abuses.
He also spoke about the recent coups in West Africa, describing them as enemies of democracy working hard in the region.
President Blinken, asked about the accusations by Ghana on Burkina Faso, repeated the strong US objections to the Wagner Group.
Notably, Burkina Faso is among one of countries located in the Sahel, a semi-arid region south of the Sahara, battling Islamist insurgents. According to analysts, 2022 is set to be the deadliest in the decade-long conflict against insurgency with 5,500 people killed in the first half of the year across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Almost 10 per cent of Burkina Faso’s population, around 2 million, have been displaced so far
In related news, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday announced it has reached an agreement on a $3 billion bailout loan with Ghana’s government as the country faces a severe economic crisis. The IMF board’s approval of the proposed three-year loan is expected early next year.
Ghana has been struggling with rising inflation, high public debt, and a weakening currency. In October, inflation reached more than 40%, the highest it’s been since July 2001 and well above the central bank’s target of 6% to 10%.
