Ghana’s Defence Minister, Edward Omane Boamah, was among eight people who died in a military helicopter crash on Wednesday along with four other officials, and three members of the airforce crew, the government said.
The crash claimed the lives of Boamah, Environment, Science and Technology Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, and others.
Speaking at a press conference, Julius Debrah, Chief of Staff to President John Mahama, described the incident as a national tragedy.
“The president and government extend our condolences and sympathies to the families of our comrades and the servicemen who died in service to the country,” Debrah said.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined. Earlier, the Ghana Armed Forces reported that radar contact had been lost with a Z9 airforce helicopter.
Don’t Miss This:
Prominent Nigerian Business Icon Alhaji Aminu Dantata Dies At 94
Boamah, who previously served as Communications Minister, was appointed Defence Minister in January after President Mahama returned to power.
His successor will inherit a challenging security landscape involving both external and internal threats.
Ghana, like other coastal West African nations, is facing pressure from Islamist militants operating in the Sahel.
These groups, active in landlocked Burkina Faso and Mali, have been attempting to push further south, bringing deadly attacks with them.
According to Reuters, a spokesperson for President Mahama stated last month that additional troops had been deployed to the northeast of the country, where ongoing chieftaincy disputes have recently escalated into violence, including attacks on schools.
Don’t Miss This:
Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari Dies At 82
Image Credit: Vanguard
