{"id":394693,"date":"2018-01-24T16:10:35","date_gmt":"2018-01-24T16:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=394693"},"modified":"2018-01-25T06:07:16","modified_gmt":"2018-01-25T06:07:16","slug":"govt-considering-another-country-for-gitmo-2-but-minister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2018\/01\/govt-considering-another-country-for-gitmo-2-but-minister\/","title":{"rendered":"Gov’t considering another country for Gitmo 2, but… – Minister"},"content":{"rendered":"
The\u00a0two former Guantanamo Bay detainees being hosted by Ghana would have to consent to be moved to a different country, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway has indicated.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the media on Wednesday after she appeared before Parliament, she said the government was actively exploring the possibility of sending the two Yemeni nationals to another country.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”5A1fcawZtjdSgL3OuGGGpGEi3aiiMdHD”]In response to questions on the specific countries they are looking at, Madam Ayorkor Botchway said, \u201cfor security reasons, I cannot give that kind of information.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that the search for a third nation to host the two Yemenis is reaping some positive results stating that “until we found out that they must consent or agree to it. Whatever option we present to them [the two former detainees], they must consent to it. That is the bottom line, because of their [refugee] status.\u201d<\/p>\n
The indications put forth by the Foreign Affairs Minister are consistent with\u00a0the statement<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0released at the time from the then-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hanna Tetteh, on January 6, 2015, when the deal to host the two was announced.<\/p>\n The government did not explicitly state that the former detainees would necessarily have to leave the country after the agreement expired.<\/p>\n The statement said the two may leave the country after the two-year period, suggesting the decision was in their hands.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the request of the US Government, we have also agreed to accept two detainees of Yemeni origin who were detained in Guantanamo but who have been cleared of any involvement in any terrorist activities and are being released. They are unable to return to Yemen at the moment and we have indicated our readiness to accept them for a period of two years after which they may leave the country,\u201d that statement said.<\/p>\n The two detainees of Yemeni nationality, Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby, who were in detention for 14 years after being linked with terrorist group Al-Qaeda, were brought to Ghana in January 2016, for a period of two years in a deal with the United States of America.<\/p>\n Refugee status<\/strong><\/p>\n Appearing before Parliament, Madam Ayorkor Botchway had revealed that the two former detainees were granted refugee status<\/a><\/strong><\/span> under the Mahama government in July 2016, thus, the current government was constrained from exploring any further options for their transfer, and will await an in-depth\u00a0examination of the matter by the appropriate agencies.<\/p>\n