[ 2019-03-05 ]

Independence Day troops not being starved, treated shabbily – GAF
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has refuted a media
reports that alleged that army personnel deployed
to Tamale for this year’s Independence Day
celebrations are being subjected to
“inhumane treatment”.

In a response to the story published by the
Informer newspaper, the GAF assured that it will
continue to seek the interest and welfare of all
troops under command and therefore the report by
the newspaper must be discarded with the "contempt
that it deserves.”

According to the story, the troops have no beds to
sleep on, and are “packed into tents like
sardines, with no proper ventilation, a situation
raising concerns of possible health
crisis”.

Again, the newspaper published that the food being
served the troops is of poor quality and being
rationed to the displeasure of the soldiers.

Additionally, the paper published that the
soldiers are being denied their daily stipends,
causing uneasy calm and despondency among them.

The statement signed by Colonel Eric
Aggrey-Quashie, Director of Public Relations of
the Ghana Armed Forces in reacting to the story
said the allegations are “palpable
falsehoods and do not represent the true state of
affairs of our troops deployed in Tamale.”

RE: AKUFO-ADDO STARVES, MALTREATS SOLDIERS

The attention of the Ghana Armed Forces has been
drawn to the 4th March 2019 edition of the
Informer newspaper with the above quoted headline.
The story alleges that troops of the Ghana Armed
Forces (GAF) who have been deployed in Tamale for
this year’s historic Independence Day
Celebrations are being subjected to
“inhumane treatment”.

Specifically, the story mentioned that our troops
have no beds to lay their heads on and are
“packed into tents like sardines, with no
proper ventilation, a situation raising concern of
possible health crisis”.

Again, the newspaper alleges that the food being
served the troops of GAF is of poor quality and is
being rationed to the displeasure of the soldiers.
Additionally, it alleges that the soldiers are
being denied their daily stipends, raising uneasy
calm and despondency among the troops.

The Ghana Armed Forces wishes to state
categorically that all the above allegations being
made by the Informer newspaper are palpable
falsehoods and do not represent the true state of
affairs of our troops deployed in Tamale.

First of all, anticipating the shortage of hotel
rooms within Tamale and its environs due to the
historic nature of the celebrations for this year,
GAF made arrangements for large Rubb hall tents
which are fully air-conditioned with mattresses,
for use by the troops. It must be noted that
soldiers sleeping in tents is nothing new and done
all over the world, Ghana being no exception.

Additionally, Field shower units have been
installed and mobile toilets provided. Supply of
drinking water, basic medical support and other
administrative assistance are all in place.

Secondly, we wish to place on record that
government has made provision for the feeding of
all our personnel deployed in Tamale and troops
are being fed three times daily-breakfast, lunch
and supper and there has not been any complaint
about quality of food served as being alleged by
the newspaper.

The allegation that soldiers are being denied
their legitimate daily stipends is also a complete
lie. Soldiers deployed ceremonial duties such as
taking part in independence anniversary
celebrations or Guard of Honour are not paid any
stipends. It is part of our normal activities that
we carry out in support of the State.

However, government made provisions for each
soldier to be given an amount of One hundred Ghana
Cedis (GH¢100) to be used for toiletries. This
has been duly disbursed to all ranks.

We wish to advise the Informer newspaper to desist
from such negative publications that has the
tendency to lower the morale of troops and to
question the care High Command of GAF has for its
personnel. Journalistic norms also required that
the Public Relations Directorate of GAF was
contacted to either confirm or deny such malicious
fabrication against a noble institution such as
GAF.

Finally, we wish to assure all troops under
command in particular and the general public that
Government and the Military High Command will
continue to seek their interest and welfare and
must discard such publications with the contempt
that it deserves.

SIGNED E AGGREY-QUASHIE Colonel

Source - Graphic

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