… Nine Soldiers Framed-Up, Victimized and Court Martialled under the pretext of Refusing Covid-19 Vaccination
A sequence of politically driven actions orchestrated by top-ranking officials of the Ghana Armed Forces to dismiss nine soldiers who served in the 87th Battalion of Ghana’s UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL GH) from the Army is approaching a critical juncture, with an impending ruling by a court martial.
The Chief of Defense Staff, alongside the Chief of Army Staff and other high-ranking Military figures, aims to portray that the nine soldiers, who have secured a restraining order from the High Court in Accra to prevent their dismissal, are being prosecuted for defying direct commands.
However, investigations by The New Republic suggest that this portrayal may be only the official stance, while the actual reason behind the persecution of the nine individuals is their perceived allegiance to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In addition to their NDC affiliation, the victims are also framed up for coming from tribal backgrounds that traditionally do not support the NPP.
In a seemingly flawed argument, the Army is justifying the decision to dismiss the soldiers from the army based on their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination provided to them during their mission in Lebanon in 2020.
Despite the United Nations clarifying that the vaccination was voluntary, the Ghana Army’s top officials capitalized on the soldiers’ refusal to use it as grounds for their dismissal.
Although a previous decision to reduce the victims’ salaries was overturned following a ruling by the Accra High Court, the Army remained resolute, proceeding with the court martial of the soldiers, whose fate now hangs on the impending judgment.
In 2020, the nine soldiers were deployed to Lebanon as part of the 87th Battalion of Ghana’s United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL GH), coinciding with the initial global outbreak of COVID-19.
During this period, the UN swiftly developed a vaccine for voluntary administration to willing individuals.
The reluctance of the nine soldiers to receive the vaccine stemmed from severe reactions experienced by some from previous flu vaccinations, while others hesitated due to uncertainties surrounding the novel COVID-19 vaccines at the time.
Despite the UN’s explicit provision of consent forms for voluntary vaccination, the Ghanaian military command directed the repatriation of the nine officers back to Ghana at their own expense for not accepting the vaccine.
According to court documents reviewed by The New Republic, upon their return to Ghana in early 2021, the officers were arrested and detained for a week before being notified of their impending dismissal from the Army, which began with the reduction of their salaries.
Responding to this notice, WO1 Anane Kwame Awadzie and WO1 Benjamin Atsianu, two of the affected soldiers, petitioned the Accra High Court, resulting in the nullification of the military’s decision to terminate their service and an order to restore withheld emoluments.
While many viewed the High Court’s ruling as conclusive, the Army, following compliance with the court’s order, proceeded to court martial the soldiers, accusing them of direct insubordination, contrary to the Military’s disciplinary regulations.
The court martial concluded with final arguments presented on November 4, awaiting its judgment to determine the fate of the soldiers.
The ongoing revelations imply that the trial is politically motivated, perceived as a witch-hunt targeting the soldiers allegedly aligned with the NDC due to their tribal backgrounds not aligned with the ruling NPP.
The pretext of the COVID-19 vaccination issue is viewed as a baseless allegation exploited by the NPP-aligned military leadership to purge these supposed pro-NDC soldiers.
Hence, despite the Accra High Court’s intervention to halt the Army’s initial attempt to dismiss the nine soldiers and its directive to restore their salaries and benefits, the Army proceeded with the court martial proceedings.