Dominic Nitiwul
Ghana’s Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, has charged Defence Chiefs of ECOWAS to let democracy prevail in their various countries.
He said the citizens choose democracy after trying all forms of government, hence, the need to let them decide who to lead them.
He has, therefore, asked the military to steer away from imposing their will on the people, and let them willingly choose who to lead them.
Mr. Nitiwul was addressing military leaders during the Extraordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff at Burma camp in Accra.
The two-day meeting was well attended by defence chiefs across the sub-region, including that of Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea Bissau.
The forum will give them the opportunity to discuss defence and security matters affecting the sub-region.
Mr. Nitiwul maintained that the maintenance of peace and security in our various jurisdictions remain a critical challenge, and as Chiefs of Defence Staff in their respective countries, they have a pivotal role to play in shaping the defence and security policies needed to achieve regional peace and public safety.
“Activities of violent extremist organisations, terrorist armed groups and transnational organised criminal networks have increased within our sub- region despite the current national and regional efforts to combat the trend,” he stated.
Giving statistics to back his case, the defence minister said within the past three years, there have been about 5,306 terror related attacks within the sub-region claiming over 16,726 lives, with several thousands of injuries and millions displaced.
“In 2022 alone, 840 attacks have already been recorded, and resulting in 2,482 casualties,” he added.
In a remark by the Chairman of the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff (CCDS), who doubles as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Vice Admiral Seth Amoama expressed his regrets in the development of coup d’état in Burkina Faso, and the failed attempt in Guinea Bissau, Mali and Guinea.
He expressed his appreciation to ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and the government for their prompt response and efforts in resolving the situations in these countries.
The CDS stressed that the security situation in the ECOWAS region continues to pose a serious challenge to socio–economic development in our respective countries.
“The situation particularly along the borders in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and the Lake Chad region continues to remain volatile and unpredictable as report of terror attacks against United Nations personnel as well as poor and innocent citizens going about their normal activities within the sahel are still being recorded,” the CDS of GAF stated.
BY Linda Tenyah-Ayettey