Ghana has called on the Commonwealth to condemn Friday’s missile attack on its United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, which left four soldiers injured.
Speaking at a Commonwealth meeting on Sunday, Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa did not identify the perpetrators but described the bombing as “an attack on every principle that the UN Charter exists to defend.”
The injured soldiers were serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) when their base was struck shortly before 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT). Videos circulating on social media showed significant damage and fire at the battalion facilities housing Ghana’s peacekeeping troops.
According to the Ghanaian army, three soldiers sustained minor injuries, while the fourth, who was critically injured, “successfully underwent surgery and [is] responding to treatment.” All are now in stable condition.
Israel has been conducting strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon following rocket and drone attacks on Haifa, which the Iranian-backed Shia group said were in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Ablakwa urged the Commonwealth to “roundly condemn this attack and demand immediate investigations” during his address in London. Ghana’s foreign ministry has also lodged a formal protest with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who stated that “those responsible must be held accountable.”
Ghana has been a long-standing troop-contributing country to UN peacekeeping missions in Lebanon, providing soldiers as part of a multinational task force aimed at maintaining stability in the region.
