42 military officers leave for peacekeeping duties in Mali

A 42-member technical team of the Ghana Armed Forces has left Accra for a two-year peacekeeping mission in Mali’s capital of Bamako.

The officers from the Ghana Air Force left Accra on Tuesday, September 16.

The largest West African country last year came under attack from Islamist rebels, who controlled the northern half of the country.

France led military efforts to restore peace to its former colony.

Ghanaian troops joined the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in further peacekeeping efforts.

The team that left Accra on Tuesday is expected to help in rebuilding the northern cities of Mali.

The officers were charged to be of good behavior.

“[If you] go in there [and] you give us problems, you have not represented the Armed Forces good enough or the country good enough,” stated Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshall Michael Sampson-Oje.

“It means you are not a good ambassador. We will bring you back here and deal with you appropriately.”

Ebola scare

The team is leaving for duty at a time West Africa is battling the deadly Ebola virus.

Though there have not been any recorded cases of the disease in Mali, the team has been adequately educated on preventive measures, TV3 found out.