55 Ghanaians killed in Ukraine/Russia war

At least 55 Ghanaians have been killed fighting in the war in Ukraine, with two others currently held as prisoners of war, Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister said. According to BBC News, on a trip to Kyiv, Samuel Ablakwa said that about 272 Ghanaians are believed to have been lured into the conflict since 2022, citing Ukrainian authorities. Ablakwa described the figures as ‘depressing and frightening’, saying Ghana ‘cannot turn a blind eye to these heartbreaking statistics’. He did not say whose side the Ghanaians had been fighting on but Ukraine's Foreign Minister said last week that more than 1 700 people from 36 countries in Africa had been recruited to fight for Russia. The 55 Ghanaians is the highest number of casualties from a single African country to have been officially confirmed in the Ukraine-Russia war. Local media in Cameroon have reported that 94 of its nationals have died in the conflict, but the authorities have not commented on these figures. Two South Africans and at least one Kenyan have died in the conflict.

A Kenyan man has been charged with human trafficking for allegedly recruiting people to fight for the Russian army in Ukraine, reports Al Jazeera. Kenya’s Office of the DPP said that Festus Omwamba is accused of sending 22 ‘Kenyan youths to Russia for exploitation by means of deception’ as the director of a recruitment agency. The DPP said the victims were rescued in an operation from an apartment complex in Machakos County last September before they could leave the country. But three others who had allegedly already left Kenya ended up on the front line of the Russia-Ukraine war and later returned with injuries, it said. Omwamba pleaded not guilty to the charges when he appeared in the Kahawa Law Court. His lawyer, Bonaventure Otieno, said: ‘There’s no case,’ and described it as being based on ‘speculations’, AFP reported. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said Omwamba was believed to be a ‘key player in a more extensive human trafficking syndicate that exploits vulnerable individuals by promising them legitimate employment opportunities in European countries’. He was arrested in Moyale, near the Ethiopian border in the north of the country this month. More than 1 000 Kenyans have joined the Russian army in recent months, according to a National Intelligence Service report released last week. In many cases, they were promised jobs in Russia before being forced to sign army contracts and sent to fight in Ukraine. The Russian embassy in Nairobi denied the accusations.