By: Dawda Baldeh
The Ghanaian troops (Ghancoy 7) serving ECOWAS on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, supported the Barra Muslim community with a donation of food items to help them celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr (Koriteh) after completing Ramadan.
This gesture is one of many that the Ghanaian troops have offered the community, earning them a good reputation and a unique status among other troops in the country.
The donated food items include rice, oil, sugar, onions, tomato paste, dates, among others, to support the Muslims’ Eid celebration.
Speaking to Muslims at Barra Central Mosque on Wednesday, Major Francis Ackom, Second Commander of the Ghanaian troops, congratulated the Muslims for completing Ramadan and prayed for Allah to grant them rewards.
He revealed that the support is meant to ease the burden on Muslims as they have just completed thirty days of fasting at a time when prices of food items are skyrocketing.
“On behalf of ECOMIG Ghancoy 7, I congratulate the Muslims for completing the holy month of Ramadan and pray to almighty Allah to bless them.
This presentation is a token of appreciation to the people of Barra for their hospitality since our deployment,” he said.
The Ghanaian troops’ second commander reiterated their commitment to supporting the people of Barra.
This support is now an annual event that the foreign troops offer to the Barra community.
For his part, Omar Sohna, the village head representative, expressed their profound gratitude to the Ghanaian troops for always supporting his village.
“The Ghanaian troops are soldiers with a difference.
We used to see soldiers as people with guns and presumed that they are hostile, but the Ghanaian soldiers have proven that wrong,” Sohna said.
He described the presence of the Ghanaian soldiers in Barra as a blessing.
“The Ghanaian soldiers are a blessing to us. These people have been supporting us in different ways, and we are grateful,” he added.
Awa Jobe, the Assistant Public Relations Officer of the Village Development Committee, also commended the foreign troops for their generosity and urged the community to continue their humanitarian work.
“The Ghanaian soldiers are part of us, and they are soldiers with a difference. This is not the first time they have supported,” she said, adding that they have been providing free medical treatment to people.
Over the past years, the Ghanaian soldiers stationed in Barra have been offering medical assistance, supporting schools with learning materials, renovating places of worship (mosques), providing food aid, among other activities, which have earned them a good reputation in Barra and the surrounding areas.
