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 “If soldiers aren’t trained to operate in the forest, how will they respond?” – Bright Simons

News “If soldiers aren’t trained to operate in the forest, how will they respond?” - Bright Simons

Bright Simons the IMANI Africa’s Honorary Vice President, has questioned whether the Ghana Armed Forces are trained to operate in the forest following the August 6 tragic military helicopter crash.

According to Brigt Simons, how do Ghanaians expect the military to respond if they are not trained to operate in difficult forest terrain?

He noted that there are global standards that exist for such operations, and Ghana must follow them.

Brigt Simons boldly emphasised that the Authorities, citing the challenging forest terrain as their delay in responding following the tragic incident, is not acceptable.

 Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Monday, August 12, Bright Simons detailed, “You have to start by saying, what are the rules that are established globally in this country? And I’m saying that for a search and rescue operation, there are response times. There are designated first responders.

“There are rules around trying to make sure you have site containment. There are rules around trying to preserve evidence, preventing unauthorised access. These are all rules that we all saw on TV that were not met.”

He added, using situations in Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, and Benin as examples, “Now, the argument is that the terrain was difficult. My response to that is that, of course, the terrain was difficult. Some of the training that the Armed Forces received, or members of the Armed Forces received, is specifically in difficult terrain, because we know, for instance, that in Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, in Benin and some of these countries, we’ve seen that bad actors tend to use a masking to prevent easy response.”

“So in Nigeria, the case with a famous Sambisa forest matter, that is where they were hiding in the forest, if you don’t train your soldiers so they can go into the forest and respond to a situation, then how are you going to do that?”, he added.

Bright Simons reiterated, “So when we say that, you know, because the place was a forest area, but I beg to differ, I think that we have soldiers that, if that situation were an insurgency, for instance, we would expect that they respond quicker.”

His comments follow the tragic helicopter crash at Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region on Wednesday, August 6, that claimed the lives of eight Ghanaians, including Dr Omane Boamah and Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, two cabinet members.

The helicopter was carrying eight individuals, including three crew members and five passengers, among them the ministers, a presidential staffer identified as Samuel Sarpong, and the ministers’ security detail.

Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, and Samuel Aboagye, a former Parliamentary Candidate, and Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of NDC, have all been confirmed dead.

The crew members are Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.

In a brief statement, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) stated that a helicopter, identified as a Z-9, had reportedly gone off the radar after taking off on the morning of Wednesday, August 6, 2025. The aircraft was headed to Obuasi when contact was lost.

Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the Ghana Armed Forces has initiated a full-scale investigation into the tragic helicopter crash.

According to John Mahama, an investigative Board of Inquiry has been set up to lead the full-scale investigations.

Addressing the nation on August 7, 2025, John Mahama stated, “As we mourn, questions about the cause of this tragedy are natural and important. I want to assure the families and the nation that the Ghana Armed Forces has initiated a full and transparent investigation into the circumstances of this crash.

An Investigative Board of Inquiry has been set up to determine the cause of the crash. The flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been retrieved. All eight bodies of our departed comrades have been recovered, and the government is in close touch with the bereaved families regarding the identification of the bodies and their final interment.”

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