Turkey Coup: Ghanaians are safe – Hanna Tetteh

Although there were coup attempts on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government in Turkey during the week, there have not been any reports from Ghana’s embassy or consulate in Turkey that Ghanaians there have been affected, Hanna Tetteh, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, has said.

Reports say the situation remains unclear, but there have been numerous reports of violence.

But Ms Tetteh in a tweet said: “We [Government of Ghana] do not have any reports yet from our Embassy in Ankara or Consulate in Istanbul of Ghanaians affected by the attempted coup in Turkey.”

We do not have any reports yet from our Embassy in Ankara or Consulate in Istanbul of Ghanaians affected by the attempted coup in Turkey.

— Hanna Tetteh (@HannaTetteh) July 16, 2016

She added: “Though a number of Ghanaians have business activities with Turkish partners, the greater number of Ghanaians resident in Turkey are students.”

Though a number of Ghanaians have business activities with Turkish partners the greater number of Ghanaians resident in Turkey are students.

— Hanna Tetteh (@HannaTetteh) July 16, 2016

On Saturday, Mr Erdogan embarked on a revenge mission against the military plotters, who threatened his government and regional stability. On Saturday night, thousands of supporters poured onto the streets of Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir to demonstrate their loyalty to Mr Erdogan after a tumultuous 24 hours.

Street protests and military forces loyal to the Turkish leader suppressed the coup that left at least 265 dead. In response, Mr Erdogan rounded up nearly 3,000 troops suspected of taking part in the plot and issued arrest warrants for 2,745 judges in what was widely expected to mark the start of a purge of opposition forces.