Concerns regarding Russian mercenaries' actions on Ghana's northern border with Burkina Faso have been voiced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
President Akufo-Addo brought up the issues during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday (December 14, 2022). He is in Washington for the US-Africa Leaders Summit. The U.S. Department of State stated this in a statement that was made public.
The President said that Burkina Faso, Ghana's northern neighbour, had provided a mine to Russian mercenaries working for the Wagner Group in exchange for their services.
And I believe that, above all else, there is something I should push you to do. Russian mercenaries are currently on our northern border, according to President Akufo-Addo.
"Burkina Faso and Mali have now reached an agreement for Burkina Faso to support the use of the Wagner forces in Mali. They have reportedly been given access to a mine in southern Burkina as payment for their services. Prime minister of Burkina Faso in the previous 10 days has been in Moscow. And it is especially upsetting for us in Ghana to see them operate on our northern border.
The President declared that given Ghana's strident opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he was especially worried about the actions of the Russian mercenaries.
"We have a particular position that you know about over the Ukraine war, where we have been very, very vocal and upfront about condemning the invasion of Russia - by Russia. And therefore, there having this group in our borders is a matter of some considerable disquiet and concern for us. We'd really like to have a privileged opportunity to talk about its intentions," he continued.
In addition, President Akufo-Addo encouraged the US to work with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to defend the region's nations from violent opposition organisations.
He claimed that due to the coup plotters' illegitimate rise to power, ECOWAS has consistently refused to negotiate with them.
"This is what happened during yesterday's discussion in the Congress, which I thought was really productive. And I would like to - the topics of that conversation should be the themes that we continue to address: to what extent can we have you as a partner in addressing these dangers," he continued.