News
Troops returned fire in self defence- GAF
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has reached to the unfortunate incident in Obuasi which claimed lives.
They have explained the circumstances which led to the incident and cautioned Ghanaians.
In a press statement issued noted that “On Saturday 18 January 2025 at about 2300 hours (1 1:00 pm), illegal miners numbering about 60 breached
the Anglo Gold Ashanti mines security fence and intruaded at Cote D’or Ramp.The aim of the illigal miners
was to enter the Deep Decline of the mines.”
“The military patrol deployed on Operation HALT II duties at the mentioned location were fired upon by the illegal miners when the soldiers tried to stop them from accessing the Deep Decline,” the statement added.
According to GAF, the illegal miners were wielding locally manufactured rifles, pump action guns, gas cylinders, knives, heavy duty industrial bolt cutters, axes and machetes.
Against this backdrop, “troops returned fire in self defence. ‘The shootout led to the death of seven illegal miners and one seriously injured.”
” The remaining illegal miners bolted away. A soldier who was also hit by pellets from a pump action gun and got injured has been treated. Six pump action BB cartridges were retricved,” GAF revealed.
“The Ghana Armed Forces(GAF) wishes to reiterate its caution to all and sundry that military personnel on authorised duty have the right to defend themselves, innocent civilians, and property, including the use of
lethal force, if necessary to preserve life,” the statement concluded.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Executive Committee member and Volta River Authority (VRA) Board Member, Wonder Victor Kutor, has described calls for the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa as premature and unjustified.
He argued that there was no evidence to establish that the minister had committed any wrongdoing to warrant such demands.
Speaking on Joy News in Accra on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Mr Kutor questioned what had changed to justify the growing calls for the minister to step down.
He recalled that the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, had earlier indicated that the opposition was not accusing Mr Ablakwa of any wrongdoing.
Mr Kutor, therefore, challenged those demanding the minister’s resignation to provide fresh evidence to support their position.
“The call for the Minister to resign is premature, it is untenable. There is no evidence. I mean, what has he done wrong?” he questioned.
He added that documents, including boarding passes, airline receipts and flight manifests relating to the minister’s return journey, had been provided.
Mr Kutor expressed concern that the calls for Mr Ablakwa’s resignation could discourage young politicians from speaking out against corruption and advocating transparency.
According to him, politicians should not be targeted or maligned for demanding accountability, warning that such treatment could create the impression that speaking against corruption could later become a liability when one is appointed to public office.
He maintained that calling for accountability and transparency should not be used as grounds to target public officials without evidence of wrongdoing.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana will host the Africa Festival of Arts, Culture and Creatives (AFESTAC) 2026 alongside Industrial Skills Week Africa (ISWA) 2026 in Accra from December 9 to 12, 2026.
On the back of these programmes, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on corporate Ghana, the media and the general public to support the initiative through partnerships, sponsorships and active participation.
The events, supported by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), will bring together stakeholders to celebrate Africa’s rich cultural heritage, strengthen the creative economy, promote industrial skills development and create employment opportunities for young people.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
