from RUSSELL ADADEVOH in Accra, Ghana
Ghana Bureau
ACCRA, (CAJ News) – MORE than 62 Ghanaians have died and 15 others are unaccounted for while fighting in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
This is according to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, during an ongoing official visit to Russia.
He spoke during a press conference alongside his Russian counterpart, Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, on Tuesday, disclosing that after their bilateral engagement, he mentioned to his host that an important matter to Ghana was how to stop the illegal recruitment of Ghanaian youth who are lured and end up fighting in the war.
“Unfortunately, the number of Ghanaian deaths in Russia has gone up. 62 Ghanaians have now died and 15 who travelled to Russia remain missing,” Ablakwa said on Tuesday.
He welcomed the pledge of the Russian government to work with Ghana to stop the illegal enlistment of youth.
“The Government of Ghana will continue to lead advocacy on this matter and ensure that our youth are protected from harm’s way. This is not our war and it should not be claiming Ghanaian lives,” Ablakwa said.
The Russia-Ukraine war peaked in 2022 when Russia launched a massive, multi-front ground and air assault on Ukraine, attempting to capture the capital city of Kyiv and overthrow the government.
This transformed the localised conflict into Europe’s largest land war since World War II.
Hordes of Africans have been lured to fight for Russia through deceptive trafficking operations, fraudulent job advertisements and coerced military contracts.
Reports and testimonies have emerged that the foreign fighters are frequently subjected to racial abuse by commanding officers and forced into high-casualty frontline operations with little support.
– CAJ News