Gitmo 2 saga: Government must eat humble pie – Irbard

International Relations and Security Expert, Irbard Ibrahim says the Akufo-Addo led government should eat humble pie, accusing it of creating a mountain out of a mole hill while in opposition on the issue of the two ex-Guantanamo Bay detainees refugee stay in Ghana.

According to him, that action by then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) did not have any basis in the nuances of transnational militancy, but only political gimmickry.

The Mahama administration’s decision to host the terror suspects Mahmud Omar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby in the country was heavily criticized by a section of the public who thought they pose a security threat.

NPP, then in opposition held the view that the agreement by the National Democratic Congress (NDC)-led government breached the constitution when Parliament was not involved in the deal.

To test the constitutionality of the decision to host the two detainees, Margaret Bamful and Henry Nana Boakye, two Ghanaian citizens sued Attorney General and the Minister of Interior over the state’s decision to host the two.

The Supreme Court in June 2017 declared as unconstitutional the agreement between the Mahama government and the US. The apex court ordered the government to send the agreement to Parliament for ratification or have the two detainees sent back to the US.

With their stay in Ghana expiring on January 8, 2018, Ghanaians demanded that the Akufo-Addo administration makes a public statement on the fate of the two ex detainees.

But the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Wednesday, January 24, 2018 told Parliament there is no way the Government of Ghana could ensure the exit of the duo as there was no exit plan discussed by the Mahama government and the United States of America.

According to her, the hands of the Government are tied now considering the bilateral agreement the Mahama-led Government entered into with the United States of America. It has also been established that the Mahama administration granted the two detainees refugee status in Ghana.

Speaking on the matter on Starr FM Wednesday, Irbard Ibrahim said this is not the time to be looking into how to revoke someone’s refugee status, adding that it’s inconsequential, immaterial to the foreign policy debate.

“For me this NPP government is doing great on foreign policy and it can as well eat humble pie and admit it made some serious mistakes by causing fear and panic when it said the coming of Mahmud Omar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby will cause national security threat to the good people of Ghana in 2016,” he stated.