IMANI Africa’s Honorary Vice President, Bright Simons, has raised concerns over the Ghana Armed Forces’ preparedness for rescue missions in difficult forest terrain, following last Wednesday’s fatal military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Monday, August 12, Simons said global standards for search-and-rescue operations exist and must be applied in Ghana.

“For a search and rescue operation, there are clear rules—response times, designated first responders, site containment, evidence preservation, and prevention of unauthorised access. These are all basic protocols, yet we saw on TV that they were not met,” he said.

Authorities have partly blamed the delayed rescue on the challenging forest landscape. Simons dismissed this explanation, stressing that soldiers should be specifically trained for such conditions.

“Of course, the terrain was difficult. But that’s exactly why the Armed Forces receive specialised training for difficult terrain. Across West Africa—in Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Benin—we’ve seen military units operate in forests against insurgents. Forest operations are not unusual,” he argued.

Citing Nigeria’s operations in the Sambisa Forest as an example, Simons questioned how the military could be effective in combat or insurgency situations if forested areas posed a barrier.

“If this had been an insurgency, we would expect a swift response. Forest terrain should not be an excuse,” he maintained.

His comments come as President John Mahama has announced a high-level Investigative Board of Inquiry to determine the cause of the crash. The President has assured that the Ghana Armed Forces will lead a “full and transparent investigation” into the tragedy, which claimed the lives of eight people, including senior government officials and military personnel.

Source: JoyNews