We won't send troops--President

Saturday, January 8, 2011

By Edmund Mingle
President John Evans Atta Mills says Ghana will not interfere in the Cote d’Ivoire crisis, saying it will not be in the best interest of Ghanaians for the government to take sides in the crisis.
“Ghana is not taking sides. It is not for Ghana to choose a leader for Cote d’Ivoire,” he said.

He said although the government remained concerned about the crisis since there are over a million Ghanaians in the neighbouring country, and an escalation of violence would adversely affect Ghana, Ghana will mind its own business.

Responding to questions about Ghana’s stance on the Ivorian crisis during an interaction with Editors and senior media practitioners at the Castle in Accra yesterday, President Mills said Ghana supports the stand of ECOWAS that ways should be found to implement resolve the crisis.

He said although ECOWAS decided to send troops to that country to use military force to implement the election results, Ghana could not contribute troops because the nation did not have the capacity to do so.

This is because currently the country’s troops are overstretched in various countries serving with the United Nations to forestall peace in those countries, adding that there were over 500 hundred Ghanaian troops with the UN in Ivory Coast.
Touching on the implications of a military intervention to remove incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, he said it could rather escalate the crisis.
President Mills also dispelled allegations that Ghana is covertly sending arms to neighboring Cote d’Ivoire to support incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, saying government would not indulge in such an act.
“We have our problems to solve and we don’t want to be saddled with the problems of Cote d’Ivoire,” he said.