Sema Fonkem 10 March 2026

OPINION

Two missiles hit Ghana’s peacekeepers’ camp in Southern Lebanon on Friday, March 06 2026. According to a statement by armed forces, three soldiers were injured while one suffers from severe trauma.

The incident occurred after Lebanon got involved in the Middle East conflict on Monday, when Hezbollah fired missiles that ignited retaliation from Israel.

Several articles have emerged online, reporting that the Government of Ghana has called on the United Nations Organisation to probe the attack on its battalion present in Lebanon.

Why Ghana should not cry foul

Before sending troops to a peacekeeping mission, a country abides by the terms and conditions of United Nations Security Council which clearly states that member states are fully responsible for the wellbeing of their troops.

The Ghanaian government and military intelligence should have become fully aware that Hezbollah’s attack instantly placed their troops at high risk if Israel decided to retaliate.

The UN indemnity for peacekeeping missions states that the United Nations provides compensation for death or permanent disability occurring during service in peacekeeping operations. This may not only be as result of ill health but also through a violent attack from a militant group.

The government of Ghana is fully aware that at any given point of time, its soldiers stationed in Lebanon could be become collateral damage.

The government of Ghana can retreat from Lebanon to protect the lives of its soldiers at this point when the conditions of the peacekeeping mission are no longer favourable.