Ghana has accused Russia of the “illegal recruitment” of Ghanaian citizens to fight against Ukraine. Following talks in Moscow, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, had agreed to work on resolving the issue, Interfax reports.
According to Ablakwa, 62 Ghanaian citizens have been killed in Ukraine, while another 15 are listed as missing.
Lavrov confirmed that Ghanaian citizens had signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense, but claimed they had done so “out of solidarity with a country that also helped them fight racism” and “for material and financial reasons.” The Russian foreign minister also said that Moscow had received similar appeals from other countries.
The recruitment of citizens of African countries to replenish Russian forces fighting in Ukraine has raised concerns across the region. The authorities of South Africa and Kenya have previously raised similar concerns with Moscow. In February, Kenyan intelligence reported that Russia had deceptively recruited more than 1,000 Kenyans to participate in the war. Many of them had been promised jobs as truck drivers or security guards.
In South Africa, five people suspected of recruiting mercenaries for the Russian army were also detained.
In July, Botswana’s authorities also reported the deceptive recruitment of their citizens to fight against Ukraine, noting that the number of victims of such schemes was “growing at an alarming rate.”
Similar accusations against Russia were later made by Panama. However, the Russian Foreign Ministry responded by saying that the contracts signed by foreign citizens were “voluntary.”
