The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) says the soldiers hurt in a missile attack on their base in southern Lebanon are recovering well, with the most critically injured peacekeeper having undergone surgery and now in a stable condition.
In an update issued on Sunday, GAF said morale among the Ghanaian contingent deployed under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) remains high despite the assault, which destroyed the battalion’s Officers’ Mess and displaced a number of soldiers from their accommodation. Replacement quarters have since been arranged and logistical support provided to those affected.
The Ghanaian Battalion Headquarters at the Al Qouzah outpost came under two missile strikes between 17:45 and 17:52 local time on Friday, March 6, during an exchange of fire between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The Officers’ Mess was hit and completely burnt down, while two soldiers sustained critical injuries and a third suffered psychological trauma.
The injured soldiers were initially treated at the Level One Medical Bunker at the base, where they were reported to be in a stable condition as arrangements were made to evacuate them to the UNIFIL Headquarters Referral Hospital for further care.
Sunday’s update confirmed that the evacuation has taken place and that the soldier who required surgical intervention has come through the procedure successfully.
Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa had on March 7 written to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres demanding a full investigation into the strike, calling it a violation of obligations under international humanitarian law governing the protection of peacekeeping personnel.
The Israeli Ambassador to Ghana described the incident as catastrophic and expressed empathy toward the affected Ghanaian contingent, while Lebanon’s government condemned the attack as a grave breach of international law and called for accountability.
Ghana is one of the largest troop-contributing countries to United Nations peacekeeping missions worldwide, with soldiers serving across Africa and the Middle East. Its UNIFIL contingent operates in a buffer zone along the Israel-Lebanon border under a mandate to monitor ceasefire arrangements and prevent the escalation of hostilities.
