GHANA TO CONTRIBUTE 850
TROOPS TO SOUTH SUDAN PEACEKEEPING FORCE
ACCRA,
Jan 15 (BERNAMA-NNN- GNA) President John Dramani Mahama has announced Ghana
will contribute 850 troops to South Sudan to help restore peace and stability
to the country in response to a request from United Nations secretary-general
ban Ki-moon.
The
president, who announced the deployment of the Ghanaian battalion when
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Dr Tedros A. Ghebreyesus called on him at his office
here Tuesday, indicated that the National Security Council had met on Monday to
ratify the troop deployment.
The
Ethiopian minister, who discussed issues of common interest and the situation
in South Sudan with Mahama, was accompanied by Ghana's Minister of Foreign
Affairs and Regional Integration, Hannah Tetteh, Ghana's Ambassador to Ethiopia
Francis Yankey and a 10-member Ethiopian delegation.
Mahama
said a decision had been taken to mobilise the 330rd Ghana Battalion currently
on peacekeeping duties in Cote d'Ivoire to South Sudan but upon a request from
the UN for a fully-fledged battalion, 520 fresh troops and equipment were being
mobilised to complement the 330 troops.
"As
Ethiopia continues to teleguide the peace process (in South Sudan), we hope
that normalcy will return to that country," he said and lauded Ethiopia
for the initiative to help restore peace to South Sudan.
President
Mahama also reiterated the need for Africa to embark on infrastructural
projects that would facilitate the integration agenda, stressing the need for
the creation of free trade areas to boost intra-African trade.
Dr.Tedros lauded Ghana for its global peacekeeping missions and indicated that
when the Sudan conflict started, Ethiopia proposed a cessation of hostilities,
the commencement of political dialogue and the provision of access to
facilitate humanitarian efforts.
"The
two parties are still meeting in Addis Ababa and they have agreed on a
cessation of hostilities and the release of detainees," he said.
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