Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Ghana and 46 other countries to take steps to prevent their citizens from being recruited by Russia to fight in the ongoing war against Ukraine.
Addressing the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Zelenskyy said Russia was using nationals from 47 countries in its war effort, including citizens of Ghana, Nepal, India, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Sudan, Cuba, Tajikistan and Yemen.
According to Zelenskyy, some foreign nationals had travelled to Russia after allegedly being deceived with promises or other inducements before being sent to the battlefield.
He appealed directly to governments whose citizens were allegedly being drawn into the conflict to take measures to protect their nationals.
Zelenskyy said the affected countries should not allow Russia to use their citizens in the war, urging them to limit the opportunities and resources available to Moscow to continue the conflict.
Ghana has previously raised concerns about the recruitment of its citizens into the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said in July that the government was investigating alleged criminal recruitment networks after reports that 272 Ghanaian nationals had been drawn into the conflict through fraudulent overseas employment schemes.
The minister said 55 of the reported cases involved Ghanaians who had died, while two others were being held as prisoners of war.
The Ghanaian government has said many of the affected individuals were reportedly attracted by employment opportunities in areas such as construction, hospitality, logistics and security, only to allegedly end up involved in the conflict.
The government has subsequently intensified public education and cooperation with foreign authorities to identify affected Ghanaians, provide consular assistance and investigate alleged recruitment networks.
Zelenskyy’s latest warning places Ghana among a wider group of countries being urged to address the recruitment of their nationals into Russia’s war effort.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Mensah Moses
