Government has categorically stated that it is too late to rescind the controversial agreement between Ghana and the United States of America over the hosting of US troops in the country.
Government, as part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed earlier in March 2018, is actively pushing for the indefinite hosting of military personnel and equipment from the US.
However, many Ghanaians, including political commentators and security experts have kicked against the idea of hosting US troops in the country, saying it may expose Ghana to terrorist attacks.
Consequently, government has been under pressure to pull out of the deal, as majority of the public have openly sounded their displeasure with the agreement.
But in a rather resounding statement, Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, has stated that it is impossible for government to back out of the deal.
Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul
According to him, previous agreements signed between both countries mean the hands of government are tied on the matter.
“We have already signed a 1998 agreement, we have signed the 2015 agreement and we have already caught ourselves in this net and we cannot back out because this is just a combination of the two agreements,” he said whiles addressing a news conference on Wednesday.
The Bimbilla MP added that the US is not setting up a military base in Ghana, as widely speculated, emphasizing that it is only a partnership between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the Minority has described the agreement to host US Military troops in Ghana as tantamount to selling Ghana’s sovereignty to the United States.
Former President Jerry John Rawlings has also kicked against the move, insisting “Ghanaians have enough foreigners dominating their economic and social life. Adding foreign troops to the discomfort would be a bit too much. Ghanaians have felt stateless before in my lifetime. Let’s not go there again.”
-pulse.com.gh
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