Military equipment for Ghanaian soldiers on peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, which were intercepted by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), have finally been released.
The release of the equipment followed negotiations between a high-powered eight-member Ghanaian delegation and the Sudanese authorities in The Sudan.
A statement read by the delegation at a news conference in Accra yesterday said the container which was seized was conveying contingent-owned stores of the UNMISS GHANBATT 1 by road from Juba to Bentiu, the capital of northern South Sudan.
“The Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs of South Sudan said upon investigation, they concluded that their suspicions for restraining the movement of the United Nations ( UN) stores to Bentiu were unfounded and that the weapons and ammunition meant for Ghanaian troops were, indeed, the case,” it added .
It said the weapons and ammunition were to be conveyed only by air, as earlier directed by the government of Ghana.
Ghanaian troops not in danger
The statement said the delegation’s visit had established that Ghanaian troops were not in any specific danger.
It said the delegation interacted with the Ghanaian troops and reminded them of their historic role in contributing to the building of the newest nation in Africa.
According to the statement, the delegation assured the troops of the nation’s support and interest in their welfare.
Background
There are currently 300 Ghanaian soldiers on a peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.The South Sudanese authorities intercepted arms, ammunition and other items in a container that was to be delivered at the military base of the Ghanaian soldiers.
The container, shipped by the UN from Cote d’Ivoire in February this year, was labelled as construction materials.Following that development, an eight-member delegation, led by the Deputy Minister of Defence, Mr Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, was tasked to hold meetings with the South Sudanese authorities and United Nations (UN) officials for the items to be handed over to the Ghanaian soldiers.
The statement explained that the Ghana Armed Forces had earlier lodged a protest with the UN through the Ghana Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.It said as a result, the UN dispatched the Deputy Military Advisor of the Secretary to South Sudan, Major General Adrian Foster, to investigate the issue.
It said consequently, President John Mahama spoke to the Sudanese President, Dr Salva Kiir Mayardit, while the Minister of Defence, Mr Mark Woyongo, also held discussions with the Sudanese Ambassador to Ghana over the matter.
It said following those engagements, it became clear that the incident had been reported out of proportion.
