Burkina Faso summons Ghanaian ambassador over Wagner allegations

[ad_1]

OUAGADOUGOU, Dec 16 (Reuters) – Burkina Faso summoned Ghana’s ambassador for an “explanation” on Friday morning after Ghana’s president alleged that Burkina Faso hired the Russian mercenary group Wagner, the ministry said. Burkinabe Foreign Affairs.

Speaking to reporters alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo claimed that Burkina Faso had hired the mercenaries.

“Today, Russian mercenaries are on our northern border. Burkina Faso has now reached an agreement to accompany Mali in the employment of Wagner’s forces there,” Akufo-Addo said, adding that he this was a painful development for Ghana.

Akufo-Addo also alleged that Burkina Faso offered Wagner a mine as payment.

In a statement released after the meeting with the ambassador, Burkina Faso’s foreign ministry said it had “expressed its disapproval” of the Ghanaian president’s statements.

“Ghana could have undertaken exchanges with the Burkinabe authorities on the security issue in order to have the right information,” he said.

However, he neither confirmed nor denied the allegations. In a separate message to Reuters, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said, without further details: “In any case, Burkina did not call on Wagner.”

Burkina Faso has also recalled its ambassador from Ghana for a meeting, the spokesman said.

Burkinabe authorities have not commented publicly on whether or not they are working with Wagner, a group of mercenaries who have been hired from neighboring Mali to help fight Islamist militants.

In a Thursday response to Akufo-Addo’s remarks, Wagner did not directly address Ghana’s concerns. But the response, attributed to Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, blamed Western governments and United Nations armed missions for some of the offenses Wagner has been accused of in Africa.

The prospect of Wagner expanding its presence in Africa has troubled Western powers such as France and the United States, which say the group exploits mineral resources and commits human rights abuses in the countries where it operates.

Burkina Faso’s government spokesperson did not return calls and did not respond to a message seeking comment.

A communications officer at Ghana’s foreign ministry said no one was immediately available to comment.

Burkina Faso faces an Islamist insurgency by some of the same groups that are present in Mali, and like its neighbor is ruled by a military junta that came to power on promises to improve security.

Mali’s decision to employ Wagner’s forces last year estranged it from regional and western allies and was one of the reasons French counterterrorism forces withdrew.

Wagner’s forces also fought in Libya, the Central African Republic, and Mozambique.

Reporting by Thiam Ndiaga, additional reporting by Cooper Inveen in Accra; Written by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Bate Felix, William Maclean

Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[ad_2]