The African Union High Representative for Silencing the Guns, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas has called on President Akufo-Addo to ensure no blood is shed in Election 2024.
Dr. Chambas recalled the deaths that marked the 2020 election, calling them a blur on Ghana’s otherwise enviable record in delivering non-violent elections, and cautioned that such an aberration must not be repeated.
“With all due respect, Mr President, the 2024 elections are all about legacy, the President’s legacy, and it should not be under the watch of Mr President, with his antecedents in democratic building in this country, that Ghana will experience violence and mayhem during this general elections.
“Please, Mr President, make it your pledge, your mantra, your cardinal goal, to deliver elections in which not a single Ghanaian blood will be shared. 2020 was to some extent a blur on our enviable record in delivering non-violent elections. Let it not be repeated, let us draw a line on that.
Dr. Ibn Chambas was delivering a speech at the maiden edition of the Diplomatic Honours in Accra, where he offered a number of recommendations to help reverse what he described as a regression in democratic gains.
He said even as many countries on the continent are ravaged by militant groups, Ghana “our beloved country remains the beacon of hope, as we have demonstrated resilience in maintaining a peaceful, stable, young democratic dispensation, a remarkable level of tolerance, social cohesion and national unity.”
Dr. Chambas said election years are often moments that threaten the country’s reputation and exemplary status in Africa and the world at large, with election 2024 being no exception.
“Some will say 2024 is particularly tense, which frankly shouldn’t be, as a country is blessed to have two fine gentlemen, two remarkable personalities, indeed, two brothers, I almost said, two of my brothers, who have each made significant contributions to peace and development in our country, facing off at the presidential election on December 7, one the former president, and the other, the incumbent vice president of the republic.
“It cannot be, it should not be, and it must not be, that it will be during their election that Ghana’s democracy will suffer a regrettable, violent downturn.”
All will be held accountable
Dr. Chambas, also a former Under-Secretary General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa, asked Ghana’s security agencies to avoid the use of lethal weapons during the polls and remain fair and impartial arbiters.
He said he has had the privilege of working with Ghanaian security in several peacekeeping missions, and they have an enviable reputation.
“They have often acted with commendable professionalism, winning the respect of citizens in missions in which they have been deployed across the world to protect vulnerable civilians. This same level of professionalism is called for during the deployment of our police and armed men, armed forces included during the forthcoming elections. Use of lethal weapons is totally uncalled for. The police and their uniformed personnel must take the primary responsibility with the armed forces in the background, coming in only in rare and exceptional cases.
“We expect our service personnel to be neutral, apolitical, and indeed even-handed in their operations. They should deploy in a manner to ensure the security of the entire process without being intimidating or a deterrence to the citizens coming out in their numbers to exercise their franchise, freely and without fear.”
He cautioned that everyone will account for their role should there be violence at the polls.
“And this time around, it should be made abundantly clear that all shall be held to account. Individuals, service personnel, and especially vigilante groups, will be held accountable for any violence during the process.”
Dr. Chambas asked all Ghanaians to ensure they play their respective roles to maintain the peace rather than take things for granted, and reminded all that delivering a credible election is the shared responsibility of all.