Two Ghanaian ministers die in helicopter crash, along with six others

Ghana’s ministers of defence and environment have died in a military helicopter crash in the central Ashanti region, along with six other people, a government spokesperson says.

Defence minister Edward Boamah and environment, science and technology minister Ibrahim Muhammed (50) were killed in the crash, which chief of staff Julius Debrah described as a “national tragedy”.

Earlier, the Ghana Armed Forces said the Z9 helicopter, which was carrying three crew members and five passengers, had gone “off the radar”.

It had taken off from the capital, Accra, at 09h12 local time (and GMT) and was heading to the town of Obuasi for an event to tackle illegal mining.

The eight bodies have been retrieved from the wreckage and have been transferred to the capital, Accra, in a military plane, the Ghana Armed Forces said.

Images purportedly showing the charred remains of the helicopter have been circulating on social media.

President John Mahama has suspended all his scheduled activities for the rest of the week and declared three days of mourning, starting from Thursday, according to a statement from his office.

The government, through the president’s chief of staff, directed the country’s flags to fly at half-mast. He also extended condolences to “the servicemen who died in service to the country,” on behalf of Mahama and the government.

The authorities have not confirmed the cause of the crash. The Ghanaian military says investigations have been launched.

Ghana’s deputy national security coordinator and former agriculture minister Alhaji Mohammed was also among the dead, along with Samuel Sarpong, vice chairperson of the governing National Democratic Congress party.

The crew members were named as squadron leader Peter Anala, flying officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and sergeant Ernest Mensah.

Mahama was feeling “down, down emotionally”, education minister Haruna Iddrisu was cited as saying by news agency AFP.

Boamah served under Mahama’s previous government as communications minister, and before that he was minister of environment. As defence minster he tackled jihadist activity that was brewing at the northern border with Burkina Faso.

In 2022, a France-based non-governmental organisation, Promediation, said its research showed that jihadist groups had recruited between 200 and 300 young Ghanaians.

Violence in the area has also been on the rise, with concerns that jihadists may be trying to exploit communal in-fighting between rival communities in northern Ghana.

Boamah’s book ‘A Peaceful Man in an African Democracy’, about former president John Mills, was due to be published later this year.

Muhammed was at the forefront of the battle against illegal gold mining, which has wrecked the environment and contaminated rivers and lakes.

Protests against the practice, known locally as ‘galamsey’, peaked during Mahama’s run for the presidency last year. – BBC

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