Ghanaian soldiers serving in Mali with the African led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) have been reminded to maintain a high level of professionalism that Ghanaian troops have curved in the areas of peacekeeping.
Brigadier General Emmanuel Tetteh – Akunor, Chief Staff Officer (CSO) at the Army Headquarters was addressing soldiers at a general durbar in Bamako when he met with all the troops of GHANENGCOY at the Senou Air force Base in Bamako, Mali.
General Tetteh-Akunor led a five-member Technical Assessment Team from Ghana to Mali to assess GHANENGCOY’s operational readiness and also find out the state of AFISMA mission as is about to transit from an AU Force to United Nations Peacekeeping Force.
This was contained in a press statement signed by Colonel M. Atintande, Director of Public Affairs and copied to the Ghana News Agency last Friday in Accra.
He reminded the troops that, they were in Mali as ambassadors of Ghana and must therefore respect the laws of that country and urged them to take good care of the equipment they were working with.
He said it was unprofessional for soldiers to communicate with the press on issues requiring the attention of command and advised Officers against rumour mongering saying that, it destroyed the basic moral fibre of the Armed Forces which had taken many years to build.
Brig. Gen. Tetteh – Akunor expressed disappointment at the way a few undisciplined Officers failed to clear their doubts through the numerous approved channels of communication and reminded the troops that everything possible was being done to equip them to execute their tasks properly and effectively.
He explained that, critical policies relating to their operations such as leave, local allowance and salaries would be paid even though the African Union had not yet specified how much it would reimburse the Government of Ghana per Soldier per day.
The CSO commended troops of GHANENCOY 1 for being the first Ghanaian Contingent to have recorded an accident-free state after spending three months in the area of operation and urged them to maintain this posture especially as the proposed general elections in Mali was approaching.
Other members of the assessment team included Col M’Bawine Atintande, Director Public Affairs of Ghana Armed Forces, Col Nicholas Kporku, Director Army Peacekeeping Operations (DAPKOP), Col Abubakari Issahaku of the Department of International Peace Support Operations, and Lt Col R. Komlaga of the Department of Plans and Development.
Source: GNA
