Omanghana
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting Ghanaians abroad, citing its evacuation of citizens who felt unsafe during xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Ablakwa said the ministry’s approach to consular protection was guided by a principle of collective responsibility.
“When you touch one Ghanaian, you touch all of us,” he said.
The minister explained that the evacuation assisted people who had experienced attacks, feared for their safety or fled their homes. Some had sought shelter at Ghana’s diplomatic mission and a Church of Pentecost facility.
According to Ablakwa, all citizens who voluntarily registered for the exercise were safely returned to Ghana.
He described the response as unusually swift compared with previous episodes of xenophobic violence in South Africa, saying it demonstrated the seriousness with which the government approached its obligations to citizens overseas.
Ablakwa added that threats against Ghanaians anywhere required a national response and that the government would mobilize to move vulnerable citizens out of danger.
Source: Omanghana
