Ghanaian Troops Saved Rwandese

Maj-Gen. Adinkrah laying a wreath on behalf of Contingents of UNAMIR

THOUSANDS of Rwandese who are alive today owe their lives to the selfless sacrifices made by gallant Ghanaian soldiers who stood firmly in the face of extreme danger, to protect the lives of the people during the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

Speaking at the 20 th Anniversary Parade of the Commemoration of the Rwandan genocide at the Forecourt of the Anyidoho Peace Monument at the Liberation Barracks in Sunyani on Sunday, Major-General Joseph Narh Adinkrah (Rtd), former Chief of Army Staff, said the Ghanaian contingent deplored to Rwanda rose to the occasion and met their responsibilities as peacekeepers with professional finesse.

In 1994 the Rwandan genocide, which lasted for about 100 days, saw an estimated 1,000,000 Rwandese, mostly of Tutsi extraction, massacred in what was described as 'ethnic cleansing.'

The 20 th anniversary commemorative parade, which witnessed 2,745 Ghanaian contingent operating in Kigali, Rwanda, is to remember the atrocities that took place in the East African country and the efforts made by the Ghanaian troops to restore peace to Rwanda. Five Ghanaian soldiers lost their lives in the warfront.

According to Maj-Gen. Adinkrah, who was then Commanding Officer with the first Ghana Battalion from the 3 rd Battalion of Infantry, even though the scenes at Rwanda were too terrifying, the tenacity and resilience of the average Ghanaian soldier offset all the dangers and the contingent became a residual company.

'Today, thanks to the gallantry of the troops, I can say with pride that thousands of Rwandese who are alive today owe their lives to the selfless sacrifices of Ghanaian soldiers, some of whom lost their lives so that others might live,' he stated.

Maj-Gen. Adinkrah appealed to Africans not to allow themselves to be used by enemies of progress to destabilize any part of the continent.

'May this commemoration serve as a warning to us as soldiers of the Ghana Armed Forces who have witnessed the devastation of other places by the scourge of war, to jealously protect our young democracy and the Governments that the people elect for us,' he added.

Major General Henry Anyidoho, who was Deputy Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), in a speech read on his behalf, noted that the Ghanaian contingent stood firm when all other contingents abandoned the people of Rwanda.

'You made me a proud commander of dedicated service men and women. Our combined determination and survival in Rwanda were a formidable achievement in the name of peace. Together, we stood by the flag of our nation Ghana and by the flag of the United Nations,' he stated.

FROM Fred Tettey Alarti-Amoako, Sunyani