Ghana and EU sign landmark defence deal to combat militant Islamist threat

Ghana has signed a defence agreement with the European Union (EU) as Islamist militants continue to wreak havoc in neighbouring countries.

The agreement, signed in Accra by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Ghanaian Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, strenghtens cooperation in areas such as counterterrorism and cybersecurity.

Ghana is the first African country to make such a deal with the EU, Opoku-Agyemang said.

Though Ghana has so far remained largely untouched by militant violence, the surrounding West African region has become a hotbed of activity by affiliates of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group.

Tuesday's agreement "signals the EU's determination to support Ghana's efforts at tackling emerging threats both at the national and at the regional levels", Osman Abdul Razak, Ghana's national security coordinator, said at a joint press conference on Tuesday.

In her address, Kallas said the EU supports West African countries like Ghana to "counter terrorism, strengthen border security and enhance maritime security".

During the visit to Accra, EU representatives delivered drones, anti-drone systems, bomb disposal vehicles, and motorcycles to the Ghanaian military.

In recent years, al-Qaeda and IS affiliates have gained territory in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali. They have also carried out attacks in Ivory Coast, Benin and Togo.

Aid agencies say that over the last decade some two million people have been displaced by the insurgency in Burkina Faso, which lies to the north of Ghana.

Militants often cross over from Burkina Faso to Ghana in regroup when under pressure from Burkina Faso's military, according to several reports. They also use the country to smuggle weapons, food and fuel.

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