Ghanaian Troops Of Company Strength Arrives Home From Liberia

A 150-man company from a Ghanaian battalion serving with the West African Peace Monitoring Group in Liberia, Ecomog, return home Tuesday after a year's tour of duty.

The battalion is not being replaced because Ecomog's peacekeeping mandate in Liberia, given by the 16-member Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), expired Feb. 4.

The company from Ghanbatt 13, comprises seven officers and 143 men. Its commander is Maj. Owusu Firempong.

They were met on arrival by the director of army peacekeeping operations at Army Headquarters, Lt. Col. Oduro Kwarteng, Staff officer at General Headquarters in charge of International Peacekeeping Lt. Col. Oduro Appenteng, and the deputy chief of the United States Embassy in Ghana, Sharon Lavovel-Rutherford.

The U.S. government is helping evacuate the battalion, which is expected to last one week.

However, a military official said that another battalion, Ghanbatt 14, will remain in Liberia pending an Ecowas decision on President Charles Taylor's request for an Ecomog contingent to help restructure the Liberian army.