Ghana Urges Commonwealth to Condemn Lebanon Peacekeeper Attack

Ghana has urged the Commonwealth to condemn a missile attack that struck its United Nations peacekeeping contingent in southern Lebanon, injuring four soldiers and raising new concerns about the safety of international troops deployed amid escalating regional conflict.

The attack occurred on Friday shortly before 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT) when missiles hit a base housing Ghanaian troops serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The incident injured four Ghanaian soldiers, including one critically wounded service member, according to Ghana’s armed forces.

Speaking at a Commonwealth gathering in London on Sunday, Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa called on member states to condemn the strike and demand an investigation into the incident.

“We urge the Commonwealth to roundly condemn this attack and demand immediate investigations,” Ablakwa said when addressing foreign ministers and representatives at the meeting.

The strike occurred amid intensifying hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group backed by Iran.

Israel has been conducting strikes against Hezbollah positions in Lebanon following attacks by the group. Hezbollah said it launched rockets and drones toward the Israeli city of Haifa last week, describing the operation as retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Although the Ghanaian government has demanded accountability for the attack, officials have not identified the party responsible for the missile strike on the UN peacekeeping base.

Ablakwa described the incident as a violation of the principles underpinning the international system.

“An attack on every principle that the UN Charter exists to defend,” he said while calling for collective diplomatic pressure to ensure the safety of peacekeeping forces.

Ghana’s military confirmed that all four injured soldiers are now in stable condition.

Following the incident, Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally protested the attack to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Guterres responded by calling for accountability for the strike.

“Those responsible must be held accountable,” the UN chief said in response to the incident.

Ghana has long been one of the largest and most consistent troop contributors to UN peacekeeping operations worldwide. Its forces have served in multiple international missions and have maintained a continuous presence in the UNIFIL deployment in Lebanon.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, created in 1978, oversees a multinational peacekeeping presence along the Blue Line, the boundary separating Lebanon and Israel. The mission’s mandate includes monitoring hostilities, supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces and helping maintain stability along the border.