RABAT–The Foreign Minister of Ghana, has called on African leaders and the UN that peace keepers need to be protected and those who kill them , must be held accountable irrespective of their positions.
Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa made the statement at the opening of the 2nd Ministerial Conference on Peacekeeping in the Francophone Environment in Rabat, Morocco, May 20, 2026.
“We must have a mechanism put in place where peace keepers are protected. It must not be accepted as a new model where those in peace keeping operations are attacked, to be maimed, to be injured, to be killed and nobody is punished,” he said,
He added, Peace keepers are killed, there are no credible investigations, nobody is held accountable, and it is becoming acceptable taking root. That must not be a norm to go with impunity and there is need for the international community to act.
He said it is important to investigate attacks on peace keepers and those who are held liable, must be made to pay the price.
Whether state actors or non-state actors, the perpetrators must he held accountable and should not be accepted.
He said peace keeping comes due to countries inability to resolve differences,
“We must all commit to the day that this world will be without conflict will be without war. If we resolve that fundamental part, we will not have to send out our troops in harms way to carry out peace operations in various theater of conflict.
According to him, Since the first deployment of peace keepers in 1948, more than 4, 448. bule helmet personals have lost their lives.
“Our world can not continue to glory conflict and we cannot continue to create conflict, for terrorism to thrive for insecurity to take its hold.
Women participation in peace keeping should be increased
He added that there is a need to increase women participation in peace operations.
“We need to increase the participation of women in peace keeping operations. It is unacceptable for only 10 percent of peacekeepers to be are female.
He said it is a known fact that there are certain task, responsibility on the field that women are better placed; considering the fact that the victims of conflict are women and children. That is why Ghana wants to celebrate the first African women commander, Maj. Gen. Anita Asma, with the UN in the Golan height. Women can play a major role in peace keeping operations.
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