Pressure continues to mount on government to rescind the controversial joint military cooperation agreement it intends to sign with the United States of America - an agreement many believe is not in the best interest of Ghana.
Latest revelation by an international relations expert and a senior research fellow with the Legon Centre for International Affairs (LECIA), Dr. Ken Ahorsu has brought to light the “true intention” of the United States in getting the military pact signed.
According to the former lecturer of Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, research shows that Africa holds 30% of the worlds remaining natural resources, a discovery which has been the sole reason for the interest of Western countries.
Dr. Ahorsu further revealed that, an establishment of a military base is an obvious extension of US influence to subtly control Ghana’s natural resources; and the continent at large.
Speaking at a public forum organized by the Ghana First Patriotic Front as part of activities to intensify pressure on government to withdraw the Ghana-US Military Cooperation Agreement, Dr. Ahorsu noted that it has been a long-held plan of the US to establish a military base in Ghana, especially in the advent of oil discovery.
“The US was worried about much in role China has played into Africa in terms pumping money into the continent and controlling its natural resources. At the face value, the argument is that they are trying to strengthen our military, strengthen government in order to fight terrorism, but in you read in between the lines, this agreement was not signed with Mali, Niger, Mauritania or even Libya, the countries in which we have crisis. Senegal and Ghana are their target and they are the most stable countries on the continent. As I have pointed out the basically because of the natural resources on the continent.” he said.
Dr. Ahorsu revealed how a top military officer from the United States in 2007 visited the then President Kufuor to have talks regarding the establishment of a base US in Ghana.
“In 2007, when the Kufuor government was in power, a US General called T. Hobbins had actually come and discussed the establishment of a base in Ghana and all these were agreed upon that eventually….the initial plan was the building of the embassy and then the base will follow”, he mentioned.
With the Middle East (which hold the world’s largest oil reserve) in turmoil and war-ridden, Gulf of Guinea said to hold vast uranium, the US wants a base to be able to tap into this natural resources, Dr. Ahorsu added.
