Is Ghana subliminally poking the bear?

President Nana Addo in a meeting with the US Secretary of State raised a concern that I think was especially out of place. He said Russian mercenary groups are on the northern border of Ghana—in Burkina Faso, and that it poses a security threat to Ghana. He drew parallels between that and the recent development in Ukraine and added it may also not end on a good note. As a concerned citizen, my underlying motive is not to second-guess the president. I just do not think it was the best possible way to go about it. And I have reasons to think so.

 

First, the Russian mercenaries (the Wagner group) are in Burkina at the request of the Burkinabé government. Purposely to support their fight against jihadists who have terrorized the country for a long time. The presence of the Wagner group in Burkina Faso does not necessarily mean Ghana will have to be looking over its shoulders. If anything, the insurgence of the Jihadist groups posed even more eminent threats to Ghana. Since Burkina has severed ties with the French, it goes without saying that they will look somewhere else for new friendships. And if they choose Russia, so be it. 

 

Second, The principle of sovereignty prohibits the interference by one state in the inherently governmental functions of another and prohibits the exercise of state power or authority on the territory of another state. Against this backdrop, what can the US possibly do about the type of relationship Burkina Faso chooses to have with other countries? Diplomacy is an inherently governmental function. Burkina Faso as a sovereign state has the right to freely choose its associations and our proximity cannot restrain them. If there are concomitant issues with their friendship with Russia, like the headlines suggest, is it up to Ghana, and not the host country to find solutions? 

 

 And again making America the arbiter wouldn’t even hold in this instance. Incidentally, the Wagner group is an equivalent of the Blackwater group that America deployed in countries like Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iraq, and others. So pointing out that superpowers use other countries as their theaters of operation is self-defeating, particularly for Americans. 

 The president could have diplomatically sought an audience with the Russians, and/or even Burkina Faso our next-door neighbor, with his concerns. That is the basis for diplomatic relations. It is only fair not to blame the Russians and the Burkinabés if they are displeased. I am not sure what the president seeks to achieve with that comment or why he had to raise it in that particular meeting. But it surely looked as though he was reporting the school bully to the headmaster.