RAS MUBARAK: DON¹T DO IT MR PRESIDENT ­ SENDING TROOPS IS A BAD IDEA

President John Evans Atta Mills on Tuesday July 27 said Ghana would consider
contributing troops to the Africa Union Mission in Somalia following a
request made by the 15th Summit of the Assembly of Heads of State and
Government in Kampala, Uganda.

Ghana is not the only country mulling over sending troops to Somalia to
shore up the AU mission in Somalia which is in dire need of troops and
equipment. Our country has a long standing tradition of contributing troops
to peace keeping efforts in trouble torn countries across the world, but
this is a different kind of war.

It is important to point out that it would be a very big mistake for the
President to commit our troops to this mission and expose Ghanaians to
terror attacks in our backyard even if we have troops and logistics
available (the only basis upon which we would get involved).

It is a bad idea and our security forces at home do not have the capability
to deal with the more sophisticated terrorist group who are linked to Al
Qaeda.

First of all the recent Ugandan twin bombings, which Al shabab claimed
responsibility for killed several people who were watching the World Cup
final match between Spain and the Netherlands in Kampala - some reports put
the number of dead at more than two hundred.

The terrorists had earlier warned Uganda and Burundi they would be attacked
for contributing troops to an African Union peace keeping operation in
Somalia.

The important fact is that AQIM, who are al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,
are busy forging alliance with al Shabab across the whole of the Sahel and
Sahara. That makes them a potent force.

In November 2009, Ghana renditioned three AQIM guys to the US who were
caught dealing in massive drugs to fund their activities. Now if Ugandans
have been bombed and Ghana chases AQIM and also trains peacekeepers for
Somalia, Army and Police from wide afield as Sierra Leone and Liberia, then
by inference we will be sitting ducks.

I don¹t think it is in the interest of the country to send troops to
Somalia. Our levels of preparedness are not up to the task of fighting a
terrorists group as potent as AQIM.


It would be fatal and put Ghanaians in a very unsafe position. I must point
out that a terrorist threat on any of the 53 AU countries is a war on all of
Africa. We must not capitulate to intimidation and threats by groups like Al
Shabab or AQIM. However we must ensure that we have the right mechanisms in
place to repel or deal with threats inside Ghana.

There are other options available but sending troops will simply make
Ghanaians less safe.

Ras Mubarak
Faculty of Human Geography,
Oslo International Summer School
University of Oslo
Norway.