A report issued by the Libyan government said Ghanaian migrants feature prominently as members of the terrorist group.

[contextly_sidebar id=”K2uEXmeMLmXzS4dDeqM7pmjiq3rkSO5A”]The report placed Ghana in the second highest category suggesting that between 50 to 100 Ghanaian migrants are frontline fighters for the so-called Islamic State in Libya.

Following the report, the Minority in Parliament charged government not to allow the Ghanaian IS fighters into the country until they are properly investigated and given security clearance.

“Government must put measures in place to ensure that none of these alleged Ghanaian Islamic State fighters are allowed to return to Ghana without strict security clearance and surveillance,” the Minority spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The Minority also called on government to ensure that Ghana’s international reputation is not affected over Libyan report.

But Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Frank Annor Dompreh, at a counter press conference said government will certainly break its silence on the matter after the investigation.

“This is not a matter that is new, the government is fully aware of this. We have done enough checks at the Ministry [of Foreign Affairs], and the Ministry is already aware. What is important is that, the ministry is conducting investigations on this matter… We think that soonest, the Republic and for that matter the government, will come up with the full disclosure and findings of what indeed is the truth or otherwise,” he said.

Mr. Dompreh also challenged the report,  saying for now, the identity of the supposed Ghanaians believed to have joined the terrorist group, has not been confirmed.

“In the report, it is being alleged that some Ghanaians have been mentioned – the authenticity of these Ghanaians have not been proven at this stage,” he added.

KNUST student joins ISIS

This comes on the back of reports that a graduate from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Nazir Nortei Alema had joined the terrorist group in 2015.

Harry Sarfo, a German Ghanian, had also in the early part of 2017, confessed to having been a fighter for ISIS.

The 28-year-old, who is serving a three-year prison term in Germany on terrorism charges, said he had however avoided participating in the group’s violence.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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The Black Stars will play Teranga Lions in Le Havre on 28 March and then take on the Malians three days later in Paris.

The two matches will help Ghana coach Avram Grant to invigorate his squad despite their excellent showing at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea last month.

“We are looking forward to augmenting our squad for future tournaments,” Ghana FA President Kwesi Nyantakyi told Ghanafa.org

“Coach Avram Grant wants to use the matches in France to observe some players who are excelling for their clubs while keeping the squad in shape for our future assignments.

“Senegal and Mali are one of the top national teams in Africa and playing against them will give us the strong test we need ahead of the qualifiers for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.”

It would be the Black Stars’ first match since they finished second at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Black Stars are expected to start camping in France on Monday before they play the two matches.

Match details

1. Ghana vs. Senegal
Date: 28/03/2015
Kick off time: 18.00
Venue: Le Havre – Oceane Stadium

2. Ghana vs. Mali
Date: 31/03/2015
Kick off time: 20.30
Venue: Paris – Charlety Stadium

Source: Ghanafa.org

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He said: “There was no discussion about putting troops from ECOWAS countries in Nigeria.”

President Mahama, who doubles as the ECOWAS chair clarified that “there were discussions about liaising strongly with the Nigerian government in order to give it any support that it needed to be able to eliminate the menace.”

ECOWAS leaders met last Friday in Accra to discuss possible ways to curtail the exploits of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the sub-region and on the African continent.

Speaking to pressmen right after the summit, President Mahama disclosed that “President Jonathan said everything possible will be done not only to retrieve the girls, but to eliminate the menace of Boko Haram, so everything possible could include everything, it could include military action, dialogue, negotiations and any other thing”

Meanwhile, President Mahama has referred to the recurrent clashes in Mali as a breach to the Ouagadougou Agreement.

He has therefore, called on all parties to return to the table to ensure all pronouncements made in the Ouagadougou treaty are adhered to.

“What has happened recently has been a breach to the Ouagadougou agreement, and so the initial response is to ensure there is a dialogue of both parties to come back to the Ouagadougou agreement and abide by it,” he said.

Mali’s government and the rebels signed the agreement last June that allowed the Malian military to return to Kidal for the first time since the last separatist rebellion was sparked in early 2012.

However, renewed fighting over who holds the town has left some 20 Malian soldiers dead.

According to President Mahama, “there are aspects of the agreement that related to disarmament of armed men, confinement of armed men and all, that had all not yet been implemented and so the president of Mali has selected a high representative Mr. Modibo Keita to be the interlocutor between the government and all the parties involved.

By: Benjamin Epton Owusu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Eight West African Heads of state converged on the Ghanaian capital, Accra to discuss important issues affecting the sub-region including the Boko Haram threat in Nigeria and the security situation in Mali.

The eight leaders who made it to the emergency Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) summit included the Presidents of, Nigeria [Goodluck Jonathan], Mali [Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta], Côte d’Ivoire [Alassane Ouattara], Senegal [Macky Sall], Sierra Leone [Ernest Bai Koroma], Niger [Mahamadou Issoufou], Togo [Faure Gnassingbé] and Burkina Faso [Blaise Compaoré].

President Mahama who doubles as the chairman of ECOWAS in his opening address called on the sub-regional leaders to see the situation in both Mali and Nigeria as a threat to the region’s economic progress and act swiftly to end it.

“Terrorism is not solely a West African problem. It is a world problem.  It is in fact becoming an undeniable problem of the world in which we live today.  To ignore our responsibility towards the eradication of terrorism is to risk the economical and developmental potential of our individual nation and indeed of our sub regions. Far more important of that is to risk the lives of our citizens. Far more important of that is to risk the lives of our citizens.”

President Mahama took the opportunity to welcome efforts by the international community to aid the sub-region deal with the emergence of terrorism.

“Other foreign nations have offered support in different forms and we in ECOWAS welcome those supports,”  he said.

According to him, “in order to successfully fight against this cult of terrorism we must avail ourselves to all assistance that is offered we must also share information and resources,  we must as members of the community offer one another protection that comes with solidarity.”

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Nigerian President, Dr. Ruben Abati  in an exclusive interview with Citi News spoke about some measures being adopted by the Federal government of Nigeria to rescue the abducted 200 girls;

“Our security forces are working in collaboration with our international allies who are providing assistance in terms of logistics, surveillance, satellite imaging. They are careful, while searching for the girls they are trying not to do anything that will jeopardize the lives of those girls, because the terrorists have guns fixed to the heads of those girls.”

He also reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to fighting terrorism and hinted that Al-qaeda was supporting Boko Haram’s fight in the oil rich nation.

“President Jonathan is committed to make sure the girls are brought back home and safely to parents of the girls.  The government is committed to chase away these thugs and their Al-qaeda allies who are threatening the democracy and freedom in Nigeria.”

By: Benjamin Epton Owusu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The head of the mission, known as Minusma, called the killings in the town of Kidal a “barbaric crime”.

On Saturday, at least 17 people died in clashes between the army and Tuareg rebels in Kidal. The fighting broke out during a visit by PM Moussa Mara.

In 2012 a Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali triggered a military coup.

Civilian rule was re-established in 2013, but Islamist and separatist forces remain active in some areas.

During Saturday’s fighting the rebels captured the local governor’s office, seizing 28 people.

It is unclear whether they are among the dead announced by the head of Minusma, Albert Koenders, late on Sunday.

“An inquiry must be carried out quickly in order to verify the facts and bring the responsible parties to justice,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Mara said his government was now “at war” with the separatists. The total death toll from Saturday’s fighting is unclear: earlier estimates put the number of dead at 36.

Malian Defence Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga has said reinforcements were being sent to Kidal.

“We will double our troops on the ground if necessary,” AFP news agency quoted him as saying.

The rebels are from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA).

The United Nations is attempting to negotiate a truce between the Malian army and Tuareg rebels.

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