A Ghanaian soldier wounded in a missile attack on a United Nations peacekeeping base in southern Lebanon earlier this month is recovering, the United Nations has confirmed.
The soldier, Lance Corporal Albert Abrefa Busia of the Ghana Armed Forces, was among Ghanaian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) when the missile strike hit their base in early March.
According to the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), three personnel sustained minor injuries, while the soldier who was critically injured has “successfully undergone surgery and [is] responding to treatment”.
Officials made the remarks after visiting the injured soldier, describing his recovery as encouraging while reiterating calls for the protection of peacekeeping personnel.
“Great to learn that Lance Corporal Albert Abrefa Busia of Ghana, one of the peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon who was recently injured during a missile attack, is recovering,” the UN said in a statement.
The organisation also stressed that peacekeepers should not be targeted in conflict zones.
“Indeed peacekeepers are not a target,” the UN said, using the campaign message #NotATarget.
Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the government has formally petitioned the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, to initiate an investigation and ensure sanctions against those responsible.
Ghana remains one of the leading troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions, with personnel deployed in several operations across the world, including Lebanon.
