The Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) says the unwillingness of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to criticize the military for their invasion of Ashaiman after a soldier died is wrong. The Executive’s degrading silence over the violations of human rights endured by the defenceless residents, according to the centre, also constitutes a tacit endorsement. The President, who also serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, has come under fire for his silence after military forces went in for violence, invaded the area with armoured cars and helicopters and brutalized residents. In a statement, CDD-Ghana tagged the military’s actions as “flagrantly unprofessional and savage,” and demanded that the President punish the officers responsibly.

“The Executive branch must also be advised that failing to condemn and sanction the military officers implicated in this barbaric episode is a slippery slope toward a generalized state of lawlessness and anarchy. The government’s tacit endorsement of this incident only goes to embolden military officers to take matters into their own hands whenever they deem it necessary to do so”, the statement read in parts...