Parliament Committee Turndown Security Request to Join War in Niger
The Defence and Interior and Foreign Affairs Committees of Parliament have shot down a request put in by the state security to join the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Security Council to fight Military juntas in the Republic of Niger.
Information intercepted by EXPRESSNEWSGHANA indicated that, the security agencies that appeared before the Parliament Committee failed to convince the select committee why Ghana is obliged to participate in the join forces to remove the Military that took over the democratically elected government in Niger.
The major security chiefs, the Military, the Police and the National Security, and Foreign Affairs appeared with their respective Ministers.
The two-day meeting was about how Ghana could deplore combating forces to join the ECOWAS security forces to restore democracy in the political l crisis in Niger.
EXPRESSNEWSGHANA gathered the security chiefs and briefed the committee on Ghana’s willingness to deploy personnel as part of ECOWAS’ planned military intervention in Niger.
The two days meeting, Tuesday and Wednesday ended inconclusively as the Committee had asked the security to seek parliament’s blessing before they could deplore forces to Niger.
The information available to us indicated that the committee declined jurisdiction to sanction the deployment of troops to intervention in the West Africa Country.
“We told them, the committee has no such power to allow them to deploy troops to Niger. We told them point-blank that sending troops to Niger is not in the interest of Ghana and the people. If they insist then they must come to parliament, the people of Ghana are represented in parliament,” a member of the committee told EXXPRESSNEWSGHANA under the condition of unanimity.
Per information, the Minority caucus on the committee argued that Article 40 (c) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana mandates the government, in dealing with other countries, to “promote respect for international law, treaty obligations and the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means”.
Similarly, the majority caucus members said 40(d) incapacitates the president from doing anything otherwise than deploying troops to join the ECOWAS standby force to intervene in Niger.
Clause (d) of Article 40 1992 Constitution enjoins the government to “adhere to the principles enshrined in or as the case may be, the aims and ideals of the Charter of the United Nations…the Commonwealth and the treaty of the Economic Community of West African States”.
Heads of ECOWAS and its affiliate’s leaders at an extraordinary summit in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on Friday, August 11, directed its Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff to “promptly activate the ECOWAS Standby Force with all its elements”.
The decision by ECOWAS followed the expiration of its one-week ultimatum to the coup leaders to reinstate the deposed democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.
The Chiefs of Defence Staff of the ECOWAS are expected to hold a meeting in Ghana on Thursday and Friday to discuss possible military intervention in Niger.
Mr. Bazoum’s government was toppled on July 26 by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the former commander of the Niger presidential guard.
The Tchiani-led junta has, however, named a 21-member transitional government to be led by Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, a civilian, as Prime Minister.
Meanwhile the Police on Tuesday, briefed the Defence and Interior sub-Committee on the shooting incident that took place at Bortianor in the Ga South Municipality.
Source: expressnewsghana.com
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