Video published on social media on Saturday showed the warplane already on fire as it plummeted towards the Zaragoza airfield.
Before the accident, the pilot was successful in getting off the plane. He may have been practising for an aerial display.
But after landing and suffering from leg injuries, he was transported by helicopter to the hospital.
The base, which lies about 10 miles outside the city, belongs to the Spanish Air and Space Force.
Police said they would collaborate with the military in investigating the crash.
The Guardia Civil said that the initial information provided by the pilot was that the plane had apparently suffered a malfunction.
US-made F-18 Hornets have formed part of their air defence since the 1980s and have been purchased by the air forces of several allied countries.
Spain’s air force acquired its first 72 models of F-18 manufactured by McDonnell Douglas in 1983.
The fighters, known for their versatility, entered service three years later. Spain’s air force later purchased an unspecified number of additional F-18s.
The Zaragoza base is home to a unit of Spain’s F-18s.
A Chinese stand-up comedian has cancelled all of his shows after an official investigation into the agency that represents him and backlash from the government for a joke he made that made a casual reference to the military of the nation.
The uproar highlights the fine line comedians must walk in tightly controlled China, where politics is rarely made light of.
As reported by state-affiliated media Jimu News, Li Haoshi attracted attention from law enforcement after using a word connected to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) while telling a tale about two stray dogs in a recent comedy show.
He later expressed his “deep remorse and regret” in a social media post on Monday, saying that he had used “an extremely unsuitable analogy to bring bad feeling and association to the audience.”
“I will take all the responsibility and call off all my performances to deeply reflect and reeducate myself,” said the comedian, who goes by the name House and has 136,000 fans on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
The controversy stemmed from his show at the Century Theater in Beijing on Saturday, when he joked about how he had adopted two stray dogs since moving to Shanghai.
He went on to say that one day his two energetic canines gave chase to a squirrel, which reminded him of eight words, before he delivered the controversial punchline, according to audio posted to Chinese social media site Weibo.
“Fine style of work, capable of winning battles,” he said, flipping a well known Chinese Communist Party slogan referring to the PLA.
The phrase was first uttered in 2013 by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who also chairs the military, when he set out a list of qualities he commanded from the nation’s army. It has since been repeated at various official occasions.
Li’s joke drew a round of laughter at the show, as shown by audio heard by CNN, but also prompted unease from one member of the audience, who Jimu News reported took to Weibo to complain that the joke was inappropriate.
The post set off an intense debate on Weibo over whether Li was being funny or disrespectful, gaining the attention of authorities who seemed unamused.
On Monday Beijing Cultural Law Enforcement Agency launched an investigation into Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media, the company that represents Li, state media Beijing Evening News reported.
Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media described the joke as “inappropriate” before offering an apology in a statement on Monday.
“We have suspended his work indefinitely,” said the production firm, adding that it would “step up education and training on actors to maintain the order in the industry.”
Without naming the comedian, Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily said even comedians should respect limits when it comes to jokes, and it would be a mistake to put humor before all things.
A new genre of talk shows featuring quick-witted stand-up comedians pitting themselves against one another in televised contests have proven to be a big hit among young audiences in China in recent years.
Comedians make a name for themselves by taking part in these shows and often expand their careers to live shows – as Li did.
But performers have to stick to pre-approved scripts – based strictly on non-political topics – making the indirect military reference that landed Li on the wrong side of the authorities this time incredibly rare.
China imposes stringent censorship on issues it deems sensitive from women’s cleavage to criticisms against the Communist Party across all platforms, be it online social media sites or traditional mass media.
That ideological control has tightened under Xi, widely impacting the entertainment industry.
In 2021, China also passed a law banning slander and insults against military personnel.
Last May, former investigative journalist Luo Changping was sentenced to seven months in prison and ordered to offer a public apology for calling Chinese soldiers portrayed in a blockbuster movie about the Korean war “stupid.”
Li’s sense of humor divided users on Chinese social media.
One user on Weibo questioned: “How come the crowd was still laughing?”
Another user on WeChat, an instant messenger app that also allows users to blog, was more understanding.
“This is not a good analogy and it’s not funny. But this actor had no intent to insult the soldiers,” the person wrote.
Thirty-three soldiers in north-east Burkina Faso have been killed in a suspected Islamist militant attack.
Per reports, this is the second of such attack in a week.
The military-led government in the capital Ouagadougou spoke for the first time on Thursday about last week’s killing of over 100 civilians by what local officials described as men in military uniform.
The government has not said whether the attack on the north-western village of Karma was carried out by the army, but it called for a full investigation.
Non-governmental organisations say over 10,000 civilians and soldiers have been killed in the long-running insurgency, and attacks have sharply increased since the start of this year.
Many were unable to attend the Eid prayers earlier in the morning due to fighting that erupted in Khartoum’s capital earlier in the day.
وافقت القوات المسلحة على هدنة لمدة ثلاثة أيام اعتبارا من اليوم الجمعة الموافق ٢١ أبريل لتمكين المواطنين من الاحتفال بعيد الفطر، وانسياب الخدمات الأنسانية. تأمل القوات المسلحة أن يلتزم المتمردون بكل متطلبات الهدنة ووقف أي تحركات عسكرية من شأنها عرقلتها. مكتب الناطق الرسمي pic.twitter.com/xGi1BOfYCm
— القوات المسلحة السودانية – الإعلام العسكري (@GHQSudan) April 21, 2023
“The armed forces hope that the rebels will abide by all the requirements of the truce and stop any military moves that would obstruct it,” the statement says.
The International media has reported that South Korea has made an announced that it will send a military aircraft to rescue its citizens who are currently living in Sudan.
According to the agency, which cited security sources, the plane carrying dozens of military and medical personnel is scheduled to leave later today.
Twenty-five South Korean citizens are stuck in Sudan but are known to be safe, media say.
More than 330 people have so far been killed in Sudan’s power struggle that began last weekend.
Themilitary shouldn’t be a part of the primary security taskforce for the 2024 general elections, according to security analyst Dr. Adam Bonaa.
He said they should just be on standby for support if need be.
“They should not be part of the core tasksforce for the elections, they should be on standby,” he said on the Big Issue on TV3 Tuesday April 18.
Dr Bonaa was commenting on the meeting that the Police held with the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Monday.
The meeting which was called at the instance of the Inspector-General of Police was necessitated by press statements issued by the parties and subsequently followed by petitions to the Police Service with each party calling on the Police to arrest certain individuals of the other side for some alleged offences.
At the meeting, both parties were given the opportunity to air their grievances.
The main issue raised by them was in respect to comments by some political actors from both sides of the divide considered to be inflammatory.
The Police told the leadership of NDC and the NPP not to interfere with their job.
The Police said in a statement after a meeting with the leadership of the two parties that they “should do their politics and allow the Police to do policing. We therefore called on them to support us including by criticising us constructively to do a professional job in line with our constitutional mandate.
As we commend the leadership of the two political parties for availing themselves and contributing to the success of the meeting, we would like to call on Ghanaians to help us in our effort to build an independent Police service which will serve the greater good of the Ghanaian people and not the interest of any individual or group of people.
“Once again, we wish to assure the public that we remain committed to ensuring peace, security, law and order in the country at all times including before, during and after all elections in the country,” the statement said.
The signing of the final deal to restore a civilian administration has been delayed once more by Sudanese officials as tensions between military factions grow.
Negotiations centered on a draft agreement that was scheduled to be signed on Thursday proceeded throughout the night.
Since the army toppled a civilian administration in October 2021 that had deposed longtime leader Omar al Bashir in 2019, Sudan has been experiencing political unrest.
Over the past year and a half, there have been violent street protests that have resulted in hundreds of deaths and numerous injuries.
The military decided on a timeline for transferring authority to civilians in December of last year.
But the negotiations have stalled due to disagreements over the unification of the national army and the dreaded paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by the deputy head of Sudan’s ruling council Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
The spokesman for the talks however said they were still determined to reach a consensus with the military.
The factions hope that a final peace deal will unlock millions of dollars frozen by the European Union and the US and help the country’s struggling economy.
According to security analyst Emmanuel Kotin the altercation between the militaryand police on Monday afternoon in Accra is a major breach of security.
The clash began when some military officers in an official military vehicle allegedly chased and attacked a plain-clothes police officer on a motorcycle following an alleged traffic infraction by the police officer.
Reports suggest despite several pleas from the police officer and identifying himself as an Inspector in an attempt to deter the attack, the soldiers continued to beat him.
Mr. Kotin believes it is high time the military focused on its core mission.
“That incident was a very serious security breach. For two security agencies meant to play complementary roles when need be. Despite their clear-cut roles, there is no doubt that the police are in charge of internal security while the military is in charge of external security of the country although the Commander in Chief of the Arm Forces can assign other roles to the military. So, for the military to be involved in internal security lately is a larger problem and a threat to our democracy.”
Background
An eyewitness who spoke to citinewsroom.com stated that despite several pleas by the police officer and also identifying himself as an Inspector, in an attempt to ward off the attack, that did not stop the soldiers from pummelling him.
The police officer is reported to have gone to the Accra Central Police Station to report the incident afterwards.
Some police officers on duty armed themselves and pursued the soldiers arresting one of them in the process.
The soldiers are reported to have called for reinforcement in an attempt to rescue their colleague, but they were stiffly resisted by the police until some senior officers managed to quell the tensions.
The eyewitness added that traders were shocked to see personnel from the country’s topmost security agencies engage in open combat and verbally and physically assault each other.
The family ofImoro Sherrif, a dead soldier, has been asked to maintain peace and trust in the state security apparatus to bring about justice for the slain soldier.
Imoro Sherrif was discovered dead with stab wounds at Ashaiman Taifa on Saturday, March 4.
Defence Minister,Dominic Nitiwul made the appeal when members of the defence and interior committees of Parliament paid a visit to the deceased’s family at Ashaiman Zongo Laka to express their condolences.
“Don’t take revenge as a family and people of Ashaiman. The gods of Ghana will answer you. I know that it is difficult for all of us, but God has a way of defending the defenceless and Ghana will defend this family and the people of Ashaiman and in doing that, we will do what is right in accordance with the law. We at the Ministry of Defence are there and will support you”, he assured.
The 22-year-old soldier with the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) band in Sunyani in the Bono Region was stabbed to death by unknown attackers.
The soldier was said to be returning from his girlfriend’s house in Ashaiman-Taifa and heading toward his residence when the unfortunate incident occurred.
He has since been buried with persons believed to be his killers arrested.
The mother of the officer whose death triggered military brutalities in Ashaiman says she is devastated by the death of her son.
Afia Kyerah says she had no idea her son was visiting Ashaiman after taking a sick leave from his base in Sunyani in the Bono Region.
The death of Sherrif Imoro sparked the serious brutalization of residents of Ashaiman by the military on Tuesday, March 7.
Speaking to journalists, Afia Kyerah said justice should be served.
“Sherrif didn’t have any friends, he was always with me, some neighbours were always teasing me for turning him into a mummy’s boy. I had no idea he was coming to Ashaiman, I had no idea he will die like this, his death is so painful, I’m sad and devastated,” the mother said.
The remaining 34 residents of Ashaiman who were taken away by the military have been released, according to Ernest Norgbey, the member of parliament representing Ashaiman.
In an effort to find those responsible for the death of Trooper Imoro Sheriff, a military officer, the military besieged the Ashaiman settlement on March 7 and captured 184 suspects in a dawn raid.
“All of them have been released now, though we are receiving information that some families are saying that they have not seen their loved ones as of yesterday [March 9]. But I am sure as they [the military] have released the 34, everybody should be able to reach home and reunite with their families.”
The actions of the military were widely condemned but the Ghana Armed Forces in a statement said the swoop was sanctioned by the Military High Command and aimed at fishing out criminal in the community.
The committee’s ranking member, James Agalga, has defended the decision by the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, the Defence Minister, and the Military High Command to visit Ashaiman on Thursday, March 16.
Some members of the public have questioned the timing, arguing that these institutions ought to contactAshaimanlocals right away to question them and get their firsthand accounts of what transpired.
According to James Agalga, who spoke to Citi News, the timeframe is to allow ongoing investigations to come to a reasonable conclusion.
“The Committee took the decision not to visit the scene at the time the Police and the GAF are in the community over the alleged killing and brutalities. The place is currently a crime scene, and some investigations are ongoing. If the committee is to proceed there, we stand to compromise the outcome, so we all agreed that we will wait till Thursday because by then, preliminary investigations would have been concluded.”
Some soldiers were reported to have beaten some residents of Ashaiman on Tuesday after a soldier was killed in the area.
Specifically, the military personnel invaded Ashaiman-Taifa and Tulaku on the dawn of March 7 in an attempt to arrest persons suspected of murdering a young military officer, Trooper Imoro Sherrif and ended up brutalizing people in the area and also arrested 184 persons, 150 of whom have been released as of March 9.
“We will visit the deceased soldier’s family and also the victims who were brutalized”, James Agalga said.
Speaking to journalists in Parliament, the Chairman of the Defence and Interior Committee, Ken Agyepong extended the condolence of the Committee to the family of the murdered soldier and also to the innocent people that were caught in the actions of the military.
“We met…in a closed-door meeting with the Ministry of Defence and the Military High Command, and we have agreed that we will visit Ashaiman on Thursday [March 16] to dialogue with the people as well as the Military High Command and in the meantime, we pleaded with the Member of Parliament for Ashaiman to stay calm, and we sympathize with him and the family of the victim and also to those innocent people that were caught up.”
Father of late Trooper Sheriff Imoro has said he is immensely pained by his son’s demise as he expected to be buried by Imoro and not the other way round.
During his son’s burial, Imoro Awudu, said he will not seek vengeance but leaves the unfortunate incident in the hands of God.
“I had also said that I should die first for my children to bury me but now this has happened. I leave everything in the hands of God, God will cater for us,” he said.
The mother Afia Kyeraa, also said she has lost everything following the death of her son
She also told TV3 during the burial that “it is not easy for me, I can’t help, he was all that I got, he was supposed to take care of his siblings but he is gone
“I don’t do any work apart from selling tomatoes so he was my hope. He promised to take care of his siblings.”
Imoro Sherrif’s remains was transported from the 37 Military Hospital mortuary to the Burma Camp cemetery in Accra for burial.
He was laid to rest on Thursday, March 9.
A number of soldiers were at the cemetery to witness the burial of their 21-year-old late colleague.
Imoro Sherrif was gruesomely murdered on Saturday, March 4.
He was found in a pool of blood near the Amania Hotel in Ashaiman and suspected to have been stabbed to death.
The Military High Command on Tuesday sanctioned an intelligence-led operation to fish out the perpetrators of the crime.
In the course of the operation, several civilians reported of brutalities meted out to them.
Soldiers stormed Ashaiman in armoured vehicles
But at the end, 184 persons were picked up and handed over to the Ghana Police Service through the Military Police.
Convener of pressure group, #FixTheCountry movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has criticised President Akufo-Addo over his continuous silence on the current trend of events in Ashaiman.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, he said it is unacceptable for the president to commiserate with blacks outside the country when they lose their loved one in a brutal manner but fail to do same for indigens.
“We are in a time of national conversation about the role of the Ghana Army and what is done in our communities. Also, importantly, a young man has lost his life, a military official, has lost his life in a circumstance which does not benefit the kind of national image we have of ourselves. It is important as a President who has shown no hesitation in tweeting about deaths of people. George Floyd for example would keep mum and shut up about the death of a military officer. “
“I think it is very unfortunate. As I understand now, he has not reached out to the family. It doesn’t show leadership and I am very disappointed. In the state of the nation address, he failed to tackle the issue,” he added.
While delivering the 2023 state of the nation address, President Akufo-Addo failed to address the chaos that has befallen Ashaiman.
Some Members of Parliament in the Minority, such as Sam Nartey George, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, criticised the president for omitting such an important issue from his address.
Meanwhile, the police are investigating some residents who were detained by the military during their swoop on Wednesday to capture the individuals who murdered Sherrif Imoro, a soldier, in cold blood over the weekend.
On the other hand, the public continue to discuss the happenings in Ashaiman. While a section believes the military did no wrong, others say otherwise.
Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has bemoaned Tuesday’s military drill at Taifa, a suburb of Ashaiman in the Greater Accra region.
The residents of the village were allegedly brutalized by a group of Ghanaian soldiers who attacked the area.
More than 100 people were hauled up by the military in connection with the murder of 22-year-old serviceman Sherrif Imoro, according to the Ghana Armed Forces.
Although the action by the military was widely considered as a move to avenge the slain soldier the Ghana Armed Forces in a statement released to the press explained that the exercise was an “intelligence-led operation.”
However reacting to the incident Joseph Whittal, the Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice told Joy News’ Blessed Sogah that the exercise does not pass the test for an intelligence-led operation while adding that the military acted wrongly.
“Because of their personal interest they come (to Ashaiman), takeover the law and do what they want. I completely condemn it. It is degrading and dehumanizing treatment to put such persons who are going to their work arrest them, make them do press ups in mud, sitting down with all their clothing removed apart from some briefs is completely unacceptable and that this is exacted by the army of Ghana? It’s completely unacceptable,” the Commissioner exclaimed on the sidelines of the Ghana-EU dialogue held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in Accra Wednesday, March 8, 2023.
He added that “any defense of it by any leadership of the military is a misplaced support. We need to call what is wrong wrong and this is completely wrong.”
When asked about the fears of reprisals from aggrieved residents, Mr. Whittal noted that the military still have weapons that they can always apply.
“The community of Ashaiman should hold themselves and allow lawful bodies like the Ghana police to Investigate and take the right steps” he stated.
He also stressed that CHRAJ “when called upon we’ll take the right steps because it is the ombudsman that has constitutional powers to investigate military issues in the event that the military go beyond their normal duty and it affects the right of people.”
However for a CHRAJ investigation to take place Joseph Whittal said the process can only be triggered if an official complaint is filed on the matter.
Trooper Sherrif Imoro’s mother, Afia Akyaa, has described how she learned about the death of her son.
Speaking to the media, she said that it all began when Sherrif’s colleague came to their house to inquire about his whereabouts after learning that he had left 37.
Madam Akyaa said according to the friend, her late son was wearing his military trousers when he left 37. “He was wearing a uniform below and a shirt with his other dresses in his military bag,” she said dispelling the claim that he may have gone elsewhere instead of coming home.
“He doesn’t go anywhere else except coming to my place only even though we have relatives in Accra including his grandmother,” she stressed.
She said after unsuccessfully trying to reach him having felt uneasy about the development, “I got a call fromBurma Campwith the caller asking of my location but I offered rather to go to Burma Camp, they rejected that offer and said they were coming.
“So, I continued with my washing till one of his uncles came here and I informed him of what was going on, he also said he wanted to have a discussion with me.
“Just then one of my brothers came from a corner and slumped after mentioning Sherrif. So, I asked, is Sherrif dead for which reason you have slumped?”
In the minutes that followed, she recounted: “people started trooping in and looking on their phones, so I snatched one of the phones and I saw Sherrif in uniform and another dead person on the side, when I looked at the deceased, I knew it was Sherrif. I shouted that my son had died.
“I called the military hierarchy and informed them of what I got to know but they dispelled the news and said they were on their way, I hadn’t confirmed the death but I was profusely weeping.
“So, when they came, they confirmed the death and it was really harrowing for me,” she added.
— Joy 99.7 FM (@Joy997FM) March 8, 2023
The March 7 military swoop
Dozens of military officers stormed Ashaiman in the operation that saw some soldiers entering the town in trucks, with an armoured car plus a helicopter hovering over the town.
The exercise is said to be in response to the gruesome murder of a young soldier, Trooper Sherrif Imoro, by some unidentified persons on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
Videos of the invasion shared across social media show various forms of assault being meted on residents by the rampaging officers who subjected some of the residents to severe beatings.
In a statement released in the early hours of March 8, the Ghana Armed Forces admitted authorizing the swoop which led to the arrest of 184 persons, as well as the seizure of suspected illegal drugs.
In the said statement, they also acknowledged excesses may have resulted in the swoop but failed to apologize for or commit to conduct a probe on same.
On March 8, 2023, former president John Dramani Mahama officially responded to a military raid that had occurred the day before in the Ashaiman neighborhood of Accra.
In a statement published on his official Facebook page, Mahama addressed the three components of the ongoing tragedy that began with the killing of a young soldier nearby, an act he claimed had caused him great sadness.
he comforted the family while he also urged the soldiers to maintain composure and let the appropriate law enforcement agencies address the crime.
He stopped short of condemning the swoop with the attendant human rights abuses that were recorded and went on to commiserate with members of the public who may have been caught up in the action of the military.
Below are 5 major things contained in Mahama’s statement
Condemnation of the killing of soldier
John Mahama started his statement with a comment on the killing of 21-year-old Sherrif Imoro, a trooper with the GAF who was in Accra for a programme.
“I am deeply saddened by the death of one of our soldiers, at such a young age, in Ashaiman,” the statement read.
Condolences to family and the military
“Lordina and I extend our deepest condolences to his bereaved and grieving family, and the officers and men of the Ghana Armed Forces.
“As your former Commander in Chief, I do appreciate how such unexpected deaths affect the Force,” the statement stressed.
Call for restraint and respect for due process
The former president also asked the military to restrain themselves and allow for mandated state agencies to bring the killers of Trooper Sherrif Imoro to book.
“However, I encourage you to exercise restraint and allow due process to investigate, apprehend, prosecute and punish the perpetrator(s) of the dastardly act.”
Sympathies with victims of brutality
Mahama pointed out the possibility that innocent people could have been caught up in the military swoop before sympathizing with any such persons.
“There are obviously many people who live and work in Ashaiman who are innocent of this heinous crime. The military must, therefore, refrain from meting out extra-judicial justice to them.
“I also sympathise with the victims of the torture in Ashaiman as a result of this unfolding death of a serving soldier.”
A prayer for Ghana
“I pray we find peace and harmony in our dear country, as the government and state institutions immediately step in to address this potentially inflammatory development between Ashaiman and the Ghana Armed Forces; including providing commensurate compensation for all persons affected,” the statement concluded.
The March 7 military swoop
Dozens of military officers stormed Ashaiman in the operation that saw some soldiers entering the town in trucks, with an armoured car plus a helicopter hovering over the town.
The exercise is said to be in response to the gruesome murder of a young soldier, Trooper Sherrif Imoro, by some unidentified persons on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
Videos of the invasion shared across social media show various forms of assault being meted on residents by the rampaging officers who subjected some of the residents to severe beatings.
In a statement released in the early hours of March 8, the Ghana Armed Forces admitted authorizing the swoop which led to the arrest of 184 persons, as well as the seizure of suspected illegal drugs.
In the said statement, they also acknowledged excesses may have resulted in the swoop but failed to apologize for or commit to conduct a probe on same.
Read Mahama’s full statement below:
I am deeply saddened by the death of one of our soldiers, at such a young age, in Ashaiman.
Lordina and I extend our deepest condolences to his bereaved and grieving family, and the officers and men of the Ghana Armed Forces.
As your former Commander in Chief, I do appreciate how such unexpected deaths affect the Force.
However, I encourage you to exercise restraint and allow due process to investigate, apprehend, prosecute and punish the perpetrator(s) of the dastardly act.
There are obviously many people who live and work in Ashaiman who are innocent of this heinous crime. The military must, therefore, refrain from meting out extra-judicial justice to them.
I also sympathise with the victims of the torture in Ashaiman as a result of this unfolding death of a serving soldier.
I pray we find peace and harmony in our dear country, as the government and state institutions immediately step in to address this potentially inflammatory development between Ashaiman and the Ghana Armed Forces; including providing commensurate compensation for all persons affected.
The GAF has updated on its social media sites a public statement it issued on Tuesday, March 7, regarding a section of its members brutalizing some Ashaimanresidents.
The date on the earlier press statement had 7 March, 2022 but its latest statement has 7 March, 2023.
On March 7, 2023, about 20 military officers invaded Ashaiman, restricting free movement of residents.
The Tuesday imposed curfew, per reports, comes as a response to the murder of a military officer over the weekend.
Reports say a male soldier was beaten to death by unknown civilians in the area.
The soldier, Trooper Imoro Sherrif, who was based in Sunyani but enrolled in a degree in Accra, had asked for permission to visit his parents in Ashaiman, where he was raised. Nevertheless, he was discovered in a pool of blood early on March 4, 2023, next to the Amania Hotel in Ashaiman.
According to the GAF, about 184 suspects aged between 21 and 47 years old in relationship to the murder of the deceased are yet to be handed to the Ghana Police Service.
“During the course of the swoop, the personnel seized 29 slabs and 57 mini slabs of suspected Indian hemp and amnesia among other forms of narcotics. The Ghana Armed Forces wish to put on record that the swoop was not targeted at innocent civilians but was an intelligence-led operation conducted on suspected hideouts of criminals and crime-probe areas in the general area. The GAF, however, acknowledges that regrettably some innocent persons might have been caught up in the operation and consequently suffered some distress due to the location they found themselves at the time,” a statement signed by Brigadier-General E. Aggrey Quashie, the Director-General, Public Relations of the Ghana Armed Forces said.
The brutality suffered by some Ghanaians in Ashaiman on Tuesday morning was authorized, according to Kofi Amankwa-Manu, the deputy minister of defense.
His remark was in response to a military raid that occurred early in the morning in areas of Ashaiman after one of their coworkers had been killed by unidentified gunmen few days earlier.
According to reports, an unofficial curfew was placed on residents in the area following the raid, and some residents were brutalized and rounded up by the military to an unknown location.
Speaking to the media, Kofi Amankawa-Manu said the operation was sanctioned by the military high command to investigate the death of the young soldier.
“And so at dawn this morning the soldiers mounted this operation to find or to bring to book the perpetrators of this heinous crime.
“And so the operations undertaken this morning was a sanctioned operation by the military high command, it’s a well-coordinated operation, that’s basically what’s happening,” he said.
According to him, the operation was necessary to curtail what he suggests is a growing attack on military men in the country.
“Because my brother, there is something happening in this country and I think that we really must be careful. Every now and then a soldier is killed, let us take our minds back, not too long ago, Major Mahama met his untimely death whiles on duty. A young soldier in military uniform going to the parents again was murdered. What really is going on?
“Is it a crime to step out to want to serve your country as a military officer? We don’t get it, and we think that the earlier we nip this in the bud the better it will be for the whole country.
“It’s important we do that. And so yes, the soldiers needed to move in to find out the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Defence Minister has apologised for the military’s excesses but insisted the operation was a necessary action.
“I think that it is only proper that we admit when there are excesses and in operations of this nature you may get one or two people who may get carried away.
“I mean, if decent, innocent residents of Ashaiman were caught up in this operations, in my capacity as the Deputy Defence Minister will want to apologise for that.
“That of course we will apologise, but, my brother, we’re not going to apologise for the operations,” he said.
Dancehall artiste, Stonebwoy, has condemned the recent happenings in Ashaiman, which have left many Ghanaians worried.
Officers of the Ghana Armed Forces have stormed Ashaiman after the death of an officer in the area. The security officers have prevent free movement by the residents as they conduct their investigations.
In a press release, Stonebwoy said “it’s 9 am in New York and I’m just waking up to the news of what’s going on in my beloved Ashaiman”.
He continued that “I unequivocally condemn all acts of violence and lawlessness, whether it relates to the brutalisation of innocent civilians or unlawful killing of a member of the armed forces. May all those culpable be found out and made to face the law fully”.
These are some of the reasons i regret being a citizen of Ghana,foolish country like this got to think of it are the authorities trying to tell us that they can’t fish out the murderers.OMG!!!Do You Think This Can Happen In America??#Ashaiman#soldierpic.twitter.com/MkFfAOM2oU
Director of the College of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Professor Kwesi Aning, has criticized the Ghana Armed Forces for wreaking havoc on Ashaiman residents.
On Tuesday, March 7, military forces raided Ashaiman and brutalized anyone they came across in response to the alleged murder of a military officer nearby.
According to Prof. Aning, the military’s actions are regrettable, unlawful, and an infringement on the authority of the Ghana Police Service to make arrests.
Speaking to the media, the security analyst said “all crimes are punishable by law, but in punishing those crimes, we cannot take the law into our own hands.”
He maintained that though the killing of the military personnel is condemnable, under no circumstance should the military have moved to the area in an attempt to arrest the supposed killers.
“When a person is in uniform representing the state of Ghana and you attack that person, you’ve attacked the state of Ghana. The response mechanism for those who feel offended was to go to the police and report because it is the Ghana Police Service that is the frontline agency that should have undertaken the investigations, find the evidence, and use it to prosecute those arrested.”
“It is unfortunate that the friends of this young man who has unfortunately died, have taken the law into their hands and brought the reputation of Ghana into disrepute,” Prof Aning added.
According to reports, unidentified assailants stabbed a 22-year-old soldier with the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) band to death on Saturday morning.
According to sources, the sad situation happened when the soldier was returning from his girlfriend’s home in Taifa and moving toward his residence in Zongo-Laka in Ashaiman.
The military has detained 72 Ashaiman residents in the Greater Accra Area to question them over the death of an officer over the weekend.
Although it is unknown to what barracks the residents have been transferred, Ashaiman constituency Member of Parliament, Ernest Dogbey, stated in an interview that more than 72 residents had likely been detained.
According to reports, roughly 20 highly armed soldiers entered the neighborhood at dawn on Tuesday and began attacking locals, preventing them from even leaving their houses.
“The soldiers are on the street and preventing everyone from stepping out. I should have left for work by now, but I can’t even step out,” an eyewitness said.
Another eyewitness said “We gathered that a military man was killed, a young man, I don’t know what led to his death, but some military have come to the area and nobody can go out. They knock on your door and once you step out you will receive slaps”.
“It is very dangerous and everybody is scared to go out…they are using their boots, and hands to attack anyone they see. If you are a young man they just attack you and if you are a woman and dressed in a certain way you become a suspect to them.”
The invasion of the soldiers come after a 22-year-old soldier with the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) band in Sunyani in the Bono Region was reportedly stabbed to death by unknown attackers Saturday dawn.
The soldier, according to sources, was returning from his girlfriend’s house in Taifa and heading towards his residence at Zongo-Laka in Ashaiman when the unfortunate incident occurred.
Though he was carrying a laptop and other electronic gadgets the attackers made away with only his iPhone.
Police are currently investigating the circumstances under which the soldier was killed and appealing for information from the public.
Information reaching our news desk is that about 20 military officers have invaded Ashaiman, restricting free movement of residents.
The Tuesday imposed curfew, per reports, comes as a response to the murder of a military officer over the weekend.
Reports say a male soldier was beaten to death by unknown civilians in the area.
OMG. Another sad new! A soldier was going home for treatment but couldn’t reach home. Some gang in Ashaiman beat him to death. R.I.P #Accra#Ashaimanpic.twitter.com/uXMbpgo55N
The heads of the security agencies in Ghana are yet to comment on the matter.
Meanwhile the matter has gotten social media buzzing, with many calling for police intervention.
The invasion of the soldiers come after a 22-year-old captain with the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) band in Sunyani in the Bono Region was reportedly stabbed to death by unknown attackers Saturday dawn.
The soldier, according to sources, was returning from his girlfriend’s house in Taifa and heading towards his residence at Zongo-Laka in Ashaiman when the unfortunate incident occurred.
Though he was carrying a laptop and other electronic gadgets the attackers made away with only his iPhone, according to the local media.
Police are currently investigating the circumstances under which the soldier was killed and appealing for information from the public.
#ashaiman the issue has escalated my people. The military is now entering and badging into home dragging some youths out their homes, especially those with dreads.. one civilian dead per rumors at Ashaiman taifa as a result of the beatings …😭😭
According to the opposition leader in the legislature, the house’s investigation into COVID-19 expenditure is scheduled to begin on February 15, 2023.
According to Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the COVID-19 probe will be made public.
This was revealed by Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson when the leadership from both sides of the house met the press today, Wednesday, 8 February 2023, to outline some activities of the first meeting of the third session of parliament which began on Tuesday, 7 February 2023.
In March 2022, the minority had been pushing for a probe into COVID-19 expenditure.
It follows the viral circulation of an audiotape on social media in which a voice believed to be that of the Northern Regional Vice-Chairperson of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ms Felicia Tetteh, is heard talking about how COVID funds were disbursed to the leadership of the party and some candidates.
The then Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu told journalists at a press conference on Tuesday, 31 May 2022 that their persistent calls for a probe have been vindicated by the leaked audiotape.
The Tamale South MP said it “makes our call for an investigation of the highly anomalous COVID expenditures to be probed.”
He said the expenditure must be “probed by parliament or by the Auditor-General, or, President Akufo-Addo, [if he] has any respect for the tenets and values of accountability and transparency, [must] authorise a public enquiry into how the over GHS19 billion was disbursed and utilised.”
“We now understand how a motion to probe COVID by an institution, which should be the most fundamental institution and guardian of the public purse, Parliament, will dismiss the motion even at birth, by actors of the New Patriotic Party political administration.”
Divisional chiefs of the KUSAUG Traditional Area are calling for an independent and non-partisan investigation into alleged shootings and killings of some residents in their jurisdiction.
Residents of Bawku on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, accused the military deployed to Bawku of allegedly killing some civilians which allegation the military denies.
But the divisional chiefs of the KUSAUG traditional area are demanding compensation for the bereaved families and urgent investigations to unravel the perpetrators of last Wednesday’s killings and appropriate punishment meted out to them to serve as a deterrent.
Following the alleged military killings of almost ten civilians in Bawku, residents say they live in a state of fear and panic.
Divisional chiefs and residents of KUSAUG bemoaned the prolonged acts of violence and criminality in the area and thus called for a lasting solution.
They described the acts of alleged military killings in the area as unprofessional and unwarranted in a democratic dispensation.
They expressed worry at the excesses of the military indicating that, persons who come into conflict with the laws of the land ought to be arrested and prosecuted but not killed.
At a press conference in Bawku, the divisional chiefs, want government to as a matter of urgency commission an independent inquiry into the incident, punish persons found culpable, and compensate the bereaved families.
Patrick Adakurugu who is the spokesperson for the KUSAUG traditional council said: “our overlord has constantly admonished us to prevail on our subjects to be peaceful. But for his exceptional patience and commitment to peace, the conflict in Bawku would have escalated to unimaginable proportions. It is in this context that we wish to express our deep concern over the spate of lawlessness and the killing of innocent civilians by the military personnel deployed to the township to protect lives and property.”
“While we remain loyal and committed to the orders of our overlord, we wish to point out that there is a limit to what the patience and the peace commitment of our overlord can do to restore peace in Bawku. This is why we are calling for urgent steps to be taken to bring an end to the criminal acts of violence in our traditional capital,” Mr. Adakurugu.
A US air strike assisting government troops in Somalia has killed about 30 Islamist al-Shabab militants, the US military says.
The operation happened near the town of Galcad, about 260km (162 miles) northeast of the capital Mogadishu.
Over the past few days, the Somali army and al-Shabab militants have fought for control of the town.
Friday’s air strike came as the army was being attacked by more than 100 militants, the US Africa Command says.
Earlier the Islamists killed seven soldiers after storming a military base in Galcad. Somalia’s Information Ministry said dozens of the militants were killed.
Al-Shabab has been fighting Somalia’s central government since 2006, aiming to impose an extremist Islamist regime. While it has been pushed out of Mogadishu and other areas it continues to attack military and civilian targets.
Last Monday the government said its army and local militias had captured the port town of Harardhere, which had been a key al-Shabab supply centre since 2010.
In its report on the Galcad fighting the US Africa Command said three al-Shabab vehicles were destroyed and “the command assesses that no civilians were injured or killed”. The details have not been independently verified.
“US Africa Command’s forces will continue training, advising and equipping partner forces to help give them the tools they need to defeat al-Shabab, the largest and most deadly al-Qaeda network in the world,” the statement said.
A Ghanaian-American family in the US is mourning the passing of their son who died at a military base in Alabama.
The news has left the family and close friends of the deceased soldier in trauma and shock.
According to the military, the 21-year-old soldier, Pvt. Abdul-Nafsu Latifu was killed in an “altercation with another soldier” at the Alabama Army post, Fort Rucker, where he was training to become an Army air traffic control operator.
A source revealed that news about his demise was published on local websites in Alabama as early as 11:30 am CST, even though his next-of-kin was officially called four hours later to report that he had been hospitalised and in critical condition.
Pvt. Abdul N. Latifu, until joining the US Army, lived in New York.
He is described as very smart and respectful by all who have encountered him.
As relatives, friends and neighbours visit his New York home to mourn with the family, eulogies and questions continue to pour in.
“He was full of life and one of the smartest lads I’ve come across”, a neighbour said. “I cannot seem to comprehend this news because Latifu will not fight anyone for any reason, at best he walks away. So, I’m dumbfounded, to say the least”, another maintained.
“Something is not right about this; someone needs to start saying what really happened, not what they’re feeding us, what are they covering up?” a teary friend of the deceased lamented in disbelief.
Preliminary comments from Jimmie Cummings, a Fort Rucker Public Information Officer, only speak to events surrounding the hospitalisation of the deceased following injuries sustained during the supposed altercation.
The communication also suggested the detention of another soldier involved in the incident but falls short of identifying him or her.
The alleged attacker is said to have used an Army-issued steel folding shovel in the assault that caused Pvt. Latifu his life.
A follow-up statement issued by the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker said no formal charges have been filed, but Army Criminal Investigation Division agents are probing the incident.
Maj. Gen. Michael McCurry, the commander of Fort Rucker stated, “On behalf of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker, I extend our deepest condolences to Pvt. Latifu’s family, friends and community,” McCurry said in a statement. “Together we mourn the loss of a promising young soldier.”
Pvt. Latifu was a trainee in the Army’s Advanced Individual Training programme at Fort Rucker where he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment, 1st Aviation Brigade.
Loved ones and close friends of the murdered soldier say the communication from the military smacks of a seeming cover-up. It is unclear how far investigations have gone in the murder of the 21-year-old son, brother, uncle and promising soldier, but the army maintains it is conclusively probing the matter.
France has suspended development assistance to Mali after finalising its move to end its 10-year military presence in the country, a foreign ministry source told the AFP news agency.
French media quoted the foreign affairs ministry as saying it had suspended aid over “the attitude of the Malian junta allied to the Russian Wagner mercenaries”.
The decision was said to have been taken “two to three weeks ago”.
A group of French NGOs are said to have denounced the decision in a letter sent to President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, calling on him to review the position.
According to the NGOs, the suspension of aid jeopardises dozens of development projects that are under way or planned in the country over the coming years.
This suspension comes amid the increasing isolation of Mali.
The UK on Monday said it would withdraw its 300 troops deployed in support of the UN peacekeeping mission there, a decision prompted by the junta’s partnership with the controversial Russian group Wagner.
The most senior US general estimates that around 100,000 Russian and 100,000Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured in the war in Ukraine.
Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, also suggested that around 40,000 civilians had died after being caught up in the conflict.
The estimates are the highest offered yet by a Western official.
But he observed that signs Kyiv was willing to re-enter talks with Moscow offered “a window” for negotiations.
In recent days, Ukraine has signalled a willingness to hold some discussions with Moscow, after President Volodymyr Zelensky dropped a demand that his opposite number, Vladimir Putin, must be removed from power before negotiations could resume.
Ahmed – not his real name – said people at the Manston processing centre were treated like “animals” with 130 people forced to share a single large tent.
Over 4,000 migrants have reportedly been held at the camp – meant to host just 1,600 – in recent days.
But Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick has insisted numbers are coming down.
Ahmed – who left the centre on Monday after 24 days there – described being forced to sleep on the floor, and being prevented from going to the toilet, taking a shower or going outside for exercise.
He also said people were prevented from calling their families to let them know they had made the crossing to the UK safely.
“For the 24 days I’m in there, I can’t call to my family to say to them I’m dead, I’m living – they don’t know anything about me,” he said.
“All people in there, they have a family. They should know what is happening to us.”
Manston, a former military base in Kent, opened as a processing centre in February for the growing number of migrants reaching the UK in small boats. Migrants are meant to be held there for short periods of time while undergoing security and identity checks.
They are then supposed to be moved into the Home Office’s asylum accommodation system, which often means a hotel due to a shortage of available accommodation.
But Manston became even more crowded at the weekend when 700 migrants were sent there from another centre in Dover, which was firebombed.
Several hundred asylum seekers were relocated from the Manston centre on Tuesday, according to local Conservative MP Sir Roger Gale.
More will leave throughout the week he said, tweeting: “This must never be allowed to happen again.”
Mr Jenrick tweeted on Tuesday that the numbers of migrants held at the centre had “fallen substantially”.
“Unless we receive an unexpectedly high number of migrants in small boats in the coming days, numbers will fall significantly this week,” he said. “It’s imperative that the site returns a sustainable operating model and we are doing everything we can to ensure that happens swiftly.”
But the British Red Cross said “the serious problems at Manston are indicative of the wider issues facing the asylum system”.
A huge number of migrants have arrived in the UK this year. So far this year, there have been almost 40,000 arrivals in Kent – with nearly 1,000 crossing the Channel on Saturday alone.
Separately, the BBC received photos of unaccompanied children being forced to sleep on the floor at another unnamed Home Office facility in Kent.
The pictures show a sparsely decorated room, with just a few books and a box of Scrabble as entertainment to help pass the time in the facility.
Image caption, Migrants rest at an unnamed Home Office facility in Kent
Image caption, In pictures sent to the BBC, the walls in the facility are covered in writing
Writing in different languages is seen scrawled on the walls above a row of plastic chairs, fixed to the floor. The BBC understands the facility is used to process unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
The government has come under huge pressure to tackle the rise in small boat crossings and to speed up the processing of migrants already in the UK.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been accused by opposition parties of ignoring legal advice that said she had to source additional hotel accommodation to prevent overcrowding at the centre.
Ms Braverman rejected the accusations.
The home secretary was also accused of using inflammatory language, after saying southern England was facing an “invasion” of migrants during a heated House of Commons session.
The Refugee Council said her language was “appalling, wrong and dangerous”. Her immigration minister Mr Jenrick later said politicians must be careful with their language around migration issues.
And the prime minister’s official spokesman said Rishi Sunak told his cabinet at a meeting on Tuesday that the UK would “always be a compassionate, welcoming country”.
Meanwhile, counter-terror police have taken over the investigation into an attack the firebombing of an immigration processing centre in Dover in Kent on Sunday.
Detectives have said Andrew Leak, 66, from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, likely carried out the attack in “some form of hate-filled grievance” before killing himself.
An attempt by some terrorists to attack the Wawa Military Cantonment in Borgu Local Government of Niger State, Saturday night, was thwarted as the army killed eight of the terrorists.
It was gathered that the intended attack, which would have been another setback to the military and bloodshed in the adjourning communities was foiled by the joint efforts of the Nigerian Air Force and the Army in the area.
It was also gathered that the aim of the terrorists was to set some of their colleagues in the military cantonment free and possibly attack neighbouring villages.
While eight of the terrorists were gunned down, unconfirmed sources said three of them, including their leader, were captured by the Army.
Some of the terrorists were also said to have escaped with bullet wounds while some of the soldiers also sustained some injuries during the fireworks.
The Army has beefed up security in the barracks and the area to forestall any possible reprisal from the terrorists.
Troops eliminate 7 terrorists in Kaduna
Meanwhile, troops of 1 Division, Nigerian Army on Operation Forest Sanity in fierce encounter with terrorists at Maidaro, Kagi Hill, Kusharki and Anguwan Madaki in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State neutralised four.
Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement added that others fled in disarray.
He said: “The gallant troops recovered two AK-47 rifles with two rounds of 7.62mm special, one automatic pump action gun with three cartridges, six Dane guns, three locally fabricated pistols with one 9mm round and four motorcycles.
“In a separate operation conducted by another fighting patrol team of 1 Division of Nigerian Army, troops along Sabon Birnin- Zartake, Ungwan Lima Riyawa and Tungan Madaki general area, closely supported from the air by Nigerian Air Force platforms, intercepted fleeing bandits from Kagi Hill. In the firefight that ensued, the troops neutralised 3 terrorists.
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has said its involvement in the fight against illegal mining in the country was a very successful one and something that Ghanaians would not believe really happened.
The military also described their role in the fight against the menace as massive and unbelievable.
“There is a lot of success being achieved and I think that is not what comes out most of the time because in terms of the operations that we conduct, ideally, it shouldn’t be something that we report on an everyday basis that will come up with certain situations and report to Ghana”. Director Public Relations Ghana Armed Forces, Naval Captain Michael Addo Larbi said this in an interview with Citi TV monitored by MyNewsGh.com.
“In terms of the roles of the armed forces and the number of seizure of excavators that we do, some that have been immobilized or destroyed and the number of equipment in terms of structures are massive. It is not something that you would even believe that this is what was going on”, Naval Captain Michael Addo Larbi added.
The statement comes from the military comes a few days after the President of the Republic Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo addressed the House of Chiefs in Kumasi on the fight against illegal mining and the way out.
Naval Captain Michael Addo Larbi further noted that, there is more to be done as a country in the fight against illegal mining adding that, there should be a collaborative effort by all stakeholders.
“But there is a lot of success being achieved. There is more to be done but a collaborative effort is what is needed at this material time”., he urged.
The Ghana Armed Forces (GFA) has refuted news reports that its officers provide security for groups and individuals engaging in illegal small-scale mining (‘galamsey’).
The GFA, while reacting to audio-visuals published in the media, said that the person captured in the videos were not military men.
According to the military, investigations conducted into some of the allegations showed that the persons who were captured in military apparel were private security officers who had been contracted to protect legal small-scale mining firms.
“GAF wishes to state categorically that there are no military personnel deployed for such activities and no soldier is providing security for any mining company in any forest reserve in any part of the country.
“GAF further wishes to disclose that following reports of the presence of some security persons in uniform within the Aprampramah Forest and Kobro Forest Reserve stretch in Amansie Central, a patrol team from 4 Infantry Battalion and the Central Command Headquarters in Kumasi conducted an operation in the general area on 28 September 2022.
“The military patrol team picked up some individuals dressed in US military-pattern camouflage uniforms working for a private security firm, which has been contracted by a registered small-scale mining company named ‘Elvis and Co Mining Ltd’. These private security guards should not be misconstrued as GAF personnel because their camouflage pattern uniforms are even totally distinct from GAF,” parts of a statement issued by the GFA read.
Also, the military said it does not condone its officers engaging in illegal and unauthorised activities, especially galamsey.
It added that it remains committed to the fight against illegal mining and will not engage in activities that will derail the country’s progress in the fight against the menace.
A Ghanaian mining consultant residing in the US, Dr. Solomon Owusu has criticized the use of the military to stop illegal mining in Ghana.
He claims that the strategy is rudimentary and fails to address the core issue of “galamsey.”
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, he told host, Samson Lardy Anyenini that the menace of ‘galamsey’ has become a challenge because of the absence of strict standard operating procedures to regulate the activities of miners.
Dr. Owusu noted the lack of these procedures compel miners to use arbitrary means of mineral extraction, leading to to the associated damage to the environment.
He therefore called on stakeholders within the industry to tighten the laws on illegal mining, instead of resorting to the use of the military to address the challenge.
“Using the military approach will not solve the problem. They need technical inputs and after getting the technical inputs to ensure that right standard operating procedures have been developed for them to follow, then monitoring and law enforcement follows.
But using the military to get rid of the illegal miners, what about the licensed small scale miners who are also polluting [the water bodies] and degrading it?”, he stressed.
He nonetheless praised the Akufo-Addo regime for the enhanced efforts in eradicating ‘galamsey’ in Ghana.
The comments by the mining consultant adds to the various recommendations from stakeholders on how to deal decisively with the menace.
In a related development, the Managing Director of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Dr. Clifford Braimah, has also advocated the involvement of the Water Resources Commission in the fight against illegal mining in Ghana.
According to him, this will strengthen the inter-agency efforts being employed to deal with the menace.
Adding his voice on NewsFileon Saturday, he explained that, the Water Resources Commission is a critical agency, whose mandate cannot be ignored if the fight against ‘galamsey’ will succeed.
He however noted that the Commission is currently under-resourced, hence the need for it to be retooled.
Over the last couple of weeks, the menace of ‘galamsey’ has been on the front burner, following the re-arrest of galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang.
The Chinese lady, who was reportedly deported from Ghana in 2018, was rearrested in Kumasi on September 5.
Subsequently, her latest arrest rekindled the conversation about illegal mining and the complicity of government officials in the act.
But reacting to these rife allegations, government has consistently debunked them, insisting that it is committed to dealing with the menace.
Meanwhile, the ‘galamsey’ queen, Aisha Huang, is currently in prison custody, after she and her accomplices were denied bail on Thursday, September 15.
They will however appear again in court on September 27.
Military service may not prevent BTS from performing, the South Korean defense minister has said.
Normally, all men in the country must serve in the military between the ages of 18 and 28, for about 20 months.
In 2020, exceptions were made for BTS members to delay their service until they were 30.
With the oldest member of the K-pop band, J, turning 30 next year, the issue has come into focus in South Korea.
There is a parliamentary debate in the country over shortening service to three weeks.
And speaking about BTS, minister Lee Jong-sup said: “There would be a way to give them a chance to practice and perform together.”
Military service is controversial in South Korea, as men must fulfill their duties as part of efforts to defend against nuclear-armed neighbor North Korea.
Over the years, some men have won exemptions – either being allowed to put off service or do shorter service – including Olympics and Asian Games medal winners and classical musicians and dancers who win top prizes at certain competitions.
Tottenham footballer Son Heung-min completed his three-week mandatory military service in 2020 - and won an award for the best performance.
Son had earned an exemption from the mandatory 21-month military service after helping South Korea win the 2018 Asian Games.
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES
Image caption
Son Heung-min won the best performance prize among all trainees
BTS announced in June they were taking a break to grow and pursue solo projects for a while but said they were not splitting for good.
At a parliamentary session, defense minister Lee Jong-sup said that by allowing BTS to continue performing, the military could serve national interests without affecting the shrinking pool of resources due to low birth rates.
“As many people highly value [artists serving] in the military, that may help boost their popularity even more,” he said.
BTS has been credited as being one of the big influences in spreading Korean culture across the world, with the Oxford dictionary announcing last year it was adding 26 Korean words to its edition.
They were named as the world’s best-selling artists of 2021 in a chart recently compiled by the music industry body the IFPI.
The band became the first Asian band to win artist of the year at the American Music Awards last year and met US President Joe Biden at the White House in May to discuss hate crimes targeting Asians.
BTS’ representatives told Radio 1 Newsbeat they did not have a comment.
Sudanese demonstrators are back on the streets to protest against the military in power and ask for the implementation of a civil government.
Large crowds could be seen around the presidential palace in Khartoum responding to calls from several dissident groups on May 12. This is the most important turnout since the holy month of Ramadan.
“All we are asking now is for the military council to step down and hand the state over to a civilian government in order to save the state, because Sudan is now collapsing, there is no justice, there is no freedom, and there is no peace.“, says Abd El-malik Ibrahim a protester in Khartoum.
Activists have often condemned the use of live ammunition and tear gas by the security forces during clashes with protesters. According to Sudanese lawyers, over 80 political protesters are still in jail, many of whom are tortured.
The army took power last October putting an end to great hopes of a democratic transition after months of a popular uprising which ousted autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir.
The Military Hospital at Afari in the Atwima Nwabiagya District in the Ashanti Region will be completed by March or April, the Minister-designate for Defence has said.
Dominic Aduna Nitiwul told the Appointments Committee on Thursday, February 11 that work on the main facility is almost done with.
It is only the housing project for the nurses and a few works that are left, he said.
He was answering a question about the delay in completion of the project, which was started by the erstwhile Mahama administration. Mr Nitiwul, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bimbilla Constituency, said the project even started in 2008 but moved around four different locations.
He said from Sofoline, the initially designated location, the project went to Tamale, and then to 37 in Accra, where sod was cut, before finally moving to Afari.
He said the necessities of the country in terms of health facilities in these times have made government take a keen interest in the quick completion of the project.
“Mr Chairman, I am happy to report that this project, apart from the electricals, I think by March or April, it will be completed.â€
He said he has been in constant touch with the contractors Euroget De-Invest to have the project commissioned for use soon.
A company belonging to the German army’s elite Special Commando Forces (KSK) has been dismantled following allegations of right-wing extremism, a Defence Ministry spokesperson told dpa on Thursday.
The second company of the Bunsdeswehr’s KSK was dismantled following an appeal at the KSK barracks located in Calw in Baden-Wuerttemberg, with some soldiers transferred to other KSK companies, the spokesperson said.
Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer had announced the step four weeks earlier as part of wider measures to halt right-wing extremism within the KSK forces, which are trained for special operations such as freeing hostages, after several incidents had caused a scandal.
Out of the four KSK companies, the second had come under fire for organizing a party in April 2017 during which soldiers threw around a pig’s heads while listening to extreme-right rock music and making the Hitler salute, which is banned in Germany.
In May 2020, police found explosives and ammunition stashed on the property of a soldier of the second company.
Following the incidents, Kramp-Karrenbauer elaborated a wider plan comprising 60 measures to tackle right-wing extremism within the KSK, which has around 300 soldiers and several hundred additional staff, though official figures are not known.
The remaining KSK soldiers have been given until October 31 to prove themselves. If allegations resurface, Kramp-Karrenbauer has threatened a complete dissolution of the KSK.
This is a compilation of the military deployments to all border Regions across the country as stated by the Hon. Defense Minister.
As has been already stated, the deployment was for the COVID 19 fight. The military officers are not part of any electoral process. But they will not allow any person to cross the borders into the country.
1. Upper East Region- 8 Officers and 199 men
A. Sonfusi 1 officer and 20 men
B. Wiriyonga 1 officer and 20 men
C. Kongo 1 officer and 20 men
D. Garu 12 men
F. Bawku 1 officer 45 men
G. Nystrom
H. Bolga 4 officers 45 men
J. Paga 1 officer 17 men
2. North East Region- 3 Officers and 99 men
A. Yawgu 1 officer 20 men
B. Bunkprugu 15 men
C. Chereponi 1 44 men
3. Northern Region – 5 officers 105 men
A. Kpalkpa 1 officer 20 men
B. Sheini 1 officer 20 men
C. Nakpale 1 officer 20 men
D. Saboba 1officer 23 men
4. Oti Region- 2 officers 70 men @ 6 locations
1. Tinjaasi 1 officers 15 men
2. Naabu 10 men
3. Minisu 1 officer 15 men
4. Ahumasu 10 men
5. Que 10 men
6. Dadiesi 10
5. Volta Region – 3 officers 95 men
A. Aflao 1 15 men
B. Akanu 10 men
C. Shia 10 men
D. Nyive 1 officer 15 men
E. Honuta 10 men
F. Leklebi Darfor 10 men
G. Wli 1 officer 15 men
H. Likple 10 men.
6. Upper West
A. Wa 1 officer 15 men
B. Tumu 1 officer 35 men
C. Hamile 2 officer 15 soldiers
7. Savannah 21 men
Damongo and Bole
8. Bono Region 44
9. Western Region 1 Officers 13 men
It can been seen from the data above that, Volta Region has one of the lowest military deployments for the COVID 19 fight and Aflao has only 15 military men with an officer.
And if there is any ethnic group which should feel targeted, it must be the Kokombas rather and not Ewes.
The NDC led by Government Official 1 must apologize to Ghanaians for the evil ethno-tribal agenda they have commenced.
One person died at Patrensa in the Asante-Akim Central on Wednesday, when some military personnel deployed to protect the concession of Owere Mines clashed with some small scale miners.
The miners were believed to have illegally entered the concession of Owere Mines, which was being protected by the military personnel.
More than five others, who sustained gunshot wounds are currently responding to treatment at the Konongo Government Hospital.
The body of the deceased, only identified as Kobee, has been deposited at the First Klass Hospital morgue at Yawkwei for preservation and autopsy
Chief Superintendent Shaibu Osei, the Konongo Divisional Police Commander who confirmed the incident to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said his outfit had commenced investigations into the matter.
Meanwhile, hundreds of the small scale miners hit the streets of Konongo on Thursday morning to register their displeasure about what they described as “needless attack” on them.
They burnt used tyres on the road leading to the Owere Mines amidst war songs.
Mr Kwame Dompreh, one of the leaders of the small scale miners told the GNA that they had engaged the management of the company which had ceased operations for some time now, to allocate portions of their concession to the youth in the area who had organized themselves into groups, to undertake small scale mining.
He said since the company was not heeding to their request, they decided to do prospecting at Patrensa, which is outside the concession of the company.
“We were working at the site yesterday when some military men appeared and started attacking us”, he told the GNA
He said the military shot sporadically as they took to their heels, resulting in the death of one of them while others also sustained injuries.
He called for justice for their slain colleague and urged the assembly and other relevant stakeholders to step in to find a lasting solution to the age-long impasse.
Some residents of Nungua have accused military personnel from the Southern Command of attacking them in an attempt to evict them from their homes.
The land in question, they said, is part of a parcel of land government took from the traditional authorities of Nungua for an Animal Husbandary project but was never used.
Frederick Okley Ashong, a resident and leader of the attacked residents said the Nungua traditional authorities, in an attempt to reclaim their land took the matter to court and an injunction had been placed on the land yet military personnel continue to defy the court order to attack them.
He has therefore called on President Akufo-Addo to look into the matter and ensure that lands taken over from the chief and people of Nungua and earmarked for projects which never materialized are returned to them.
He noted that their population as custodians of Nungua lands were fast increasing hence they needed a place to settle with their families but instead of government handing over their lands to them, the lands have been sold to some estate developers who use military to terrorize them.
“We also need what is left of the land for our children, we have no land anywhere to resettle and we are fed up with these military brutalities over our own lands,†he said
A man in a military uniform claiming to be an employee with the Army has been arrested together with a driver over extortion and robbery in the Eastern Region.
The suspects – Solomon Acquah, 25 alleged Army Civilian Employee and Prince Obeng, a driver were arrested on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, around 4:00 pm by one Sampson Adjei of Anum Apapam assisted by the Suhum Police District patrol team led by Chief Inspector Stephen Asare.
Adjei reported at the Suhum Police station after the arrest that same day at about 3:45 pm that he was riding an unregistered Royal motorbike from Obuoho towards Anum Apapam, however, on reaching a section of the road at the outskirts of Anum Apapam on the main Obuoho- Anum Apapam road, he together with three other Okada riders were stopped by the suspects who had blocked the road with a Daewoo Matrix taxi cab with registration number GG 376 -18 extorting various sums of money and foodstuffs from commuters particularly Okada riders who ply the road.
The angry Okada riders became suspicious hence mobilized to confront and challenge the authority of the two suspects.
Sensing danger, the suspects sped off in their taxi cab but were chased to Suhum township around the overhead where the Police patrol team went to the rescue of the suspects who were nearly lynched.
While at the Police Station, a victim Micheal Martey stormed the station to identify Solomon Aquah as the military dressed young man whom with three others snatched his taxi cab with registration number GW 7544 19 from him on May 9, 2020, at Budu near Suhum.
The Public Relations Officer of the Eastern Regional Police Command, DSP Ebenezer Tetteh, told Starr News, the two suspects are in Police custody assisting with investigations.
Meanwhile, he said, the Daewoo Matrix taxi cab has also been impounded.
Government has empowered the security forces to ensure that residents of the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan areas comply with the directives restricting their movement to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
Effective 0100 hours on Monday, March 30, residents of some 40 local government jurisdictions will have their movements curtailed for two weeks, except to access essential services.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who announced this on Friday, also cautioned:“Let me also reiterate that the ban on public gatherings, religious or social, is still in force.
” Anyone, irrespective of status, religion or ethnicity, who is found to be flouting them will be dealt with fully in accordance with law.
“The security services have been clothed with the necessary power to enforce these measures, and I assure you that they will do so responsibly, but without fear or favour, ill-will or maliceâ€.
President Akufo-Addo said to accelerate the contact tracing process, and ensure curtail the spread of the virus in the shortest time, military and police personnel will be deployed to assist health authorities to expedite the process.
He said the Government had succeeded in halting any more importations of the virus into the country and thanked those adhering to the good hygiene and social distancing protocols announced in his first broadcast.
However, the prevailing circumstances meant that stricter measures had to be put in place to contain and halt the spread of the virus within the country, especially in Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi, which had been identified by the Ghana Health Service as the “hotspots†of the infections.
“In doing this, we cannot afford to copy blindly, and do all the things some other well-developed countries are doing,†he stated.
There was no one-size-fits-all approach to this pandemic he declared, explaining that the situation of the country was unique and the Government must consider that in dealing with the disease.
It also had to meet all the six key World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines on the most effective ways of combating the pandemic.
“Even though it may be said that the number of our infections is still, relatively, low, if we act now purposefully, we have a chance of preventing an escalation of our numbers,†he said.
“So, effective 1 am on Monday, 30th March, some forty-eight hours from now, I have imposed, pursuant to the powers granted the President of the Republic, under the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012), restrictions on movement of persons in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), which includes Awutu Senya East), and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and contiguous districts, for a period of two weeks, subject to review.â€
He said it would give the Government the opportunity to try to halt the spread of the virus, and scale-up effectively contact tracing of persons who had come into contact with infected persons, test them for the virus, and, if necessary, quarantine and isolate them for treatment.
“This, in essence, means that everyone resident in these areas must stay at home for the next two weeks. However, if you must go out, it must only be to get essential items such as food, medicine, water, undertake banking transactions, or to use public toilet facilities. But, as much as possible, stay at home.â€
He explained that during the period there shall be, no inter-city movement of vehicles and aircrafts for private or commercial purposes for the areas of the restrictive measures, except for vehicles and aircrafts providing essential services and those carrying cargo.
10th Anniversary of Former PNDC Secretary of State for Defence and Navy Commander H.E Rear Admiral Chemogoh Kevin Dzang (RTD) has been held at Nandom in the Upper West Region of Ghana.
H.E Rear Admiral Chemogoh Kevin Dzang (27 July 1941 — 29 December 2009) was born at Nandom in the Upper West Region of Ghana. He is a retired Naval Officer and a Former Chief of Naval Staff of the Ghana Navy.
H.E Rear Admiral Chemogoh Kevin Dzang also served Ghana as a High Commissioner to Australia, Member of Supreme Military Council (SMC I) and an Ambassador to Japan with concurrent accreditations to the Commonwealth of Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei and Thailand.
On December, 29, 2009, a shock waves ran through the nation Ghana when the sad news broke that death has laid its icy hands on H.E Rear Admiral Chemogoh Kevin Dzang after which his remains were buried.
Speaking to Class FM after the anniversary, principal social work lecturer at UK Anglia Ruskin University – Cambridge, Child Protection Advisor to UK Immigration Ministry and daughter of the late H.E Rear Admiral Chemogoh Kevin Dzang, Dr. Prospera Tedam said: “the 10th Anniversary organised from 27th to 29th December, 2019 was graced by Ghana Navy Band, extending alms to Nandom Hospitals, feeding patients and wraps up with thanks giving service in honour of my Dad”.
As part of the 10th Anniversary, Muslim Prayers were observed in honour of the late PNDC Secretary of State H.E Rear Admiral Chemogoh Kevin Dzang during which medical books and thermometers were donated to the Nandom Hospital including distribution of 700 take away packs to patients in all the Nandom Hospital wards.
H.E Rear Admiral Chemogoh Kevin Dzang was born July, 27, 1941 at Nandom in the Upper West Region of Ghana but died on December 29, 2009 at the age of sixty-eight(68) and was a Member of the Supreme Military Council (SMC I).
The newly appointed Officer Commanding (OC) the Ghana Engineer Company (GHANENGCOY 8) serving with the United Nation Multidimensional Integrated Stability Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) Lieutenant Colonel Atsu Agbenyega officially assumed command in a short but colourful ceremony at the sappers Camp of the Integrated Super Camp in Timbuktu on Tuesday, February 4, 2020.
He took over from Lieutenant Colonel WLK Djiyehue, Officer Commanding GHANENGCOY 7 who successfully completed twelve months of service with the mission.
The Sector West Commander, Brigadier General Eno Eno Eyong who was the guest of honour commended the Ghana Engineer Company for the outstanding performance in the discharge of duties.
He applauded the outgoing OC for his good work and quick response to task orders urging the new Commander, Lt Col A Agbenyega to emulate Coy 7 in order to further lift high the flag of Ghana in the MINUSMA theatre.
In his remarks, the in-coming commander thanked the sector Commander for honouring the invitation and also commended the outgoing commander and his troops for the successful completion of their mandate. He wished them well and promised to keep the flag of Ghana high.
Lt Col WLK Djiyehue on his part, admonished Officers, Men and Women of GHANENGCOY 8 to be committed to the task ahead of them in supporting their command to lift high the flag of Ghana and the Armed Forces in particular.
