Prez Akufo-Addo Explains Reasons for Military Deployment

Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo has given the motive behind  deploying the military along the country’s borders in response to growing criticisms from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

In an address to the nation on Monday, June 29, 2020, he explained that the deployment of security personnel to border areas of the country was to prevent possible terrorist attacks and safeguard the peace of the country.

According to the president, the government had proactively acted to protect the country from any potential terror attacks, in light of similar attacks in Burkina Faso and Cote D’Ivoire.

“The longstanding deployment of security personnel along our borders especially the military is another dimension of this process of guaranteeing the peace of our nation. Fellow Ghanaians, it is no secret that our neighbour to the North – Burkina Faso – has been in recent times been at the receiving end of a number of terrorist attacks, as has another neighbour, Cote D’Ivoire.

To shore up our borders against such attacks and to defend our nations’ territorial integrity, the armed forces – at least since came into office – have been proactive in engaging in operations to secure our borders from any potential terror attacks on our soil” he noted

The President said these Operations have been going on since February 1, 2019.

Further Akufo-Addo explained that, the deployment of these security personnel along the country’s borders, is to enforce the border closure directive following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease.

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“Again in the fight against covid-19, I took the decision on Saturday, 21 March 2020, to close all our borders, by land, air and sea. To ensure substantial compliance with this directive and to assist personnel of the immigration service, our Eastern, Western and Northern borders, were shored up by some personnel from the military.

He said this arrangement led to the arrest of some 5,000 persons who entered Ghana illegally from the period of lockdown.

He added that, the security personnel deployed are not to prevent citizens from participating in the voters' registration exercise nor intimidate them, as being suggested by some critics.