By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, May 22, GNA – Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Damongo, has called on the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to appear before Parliament to explain the postponement of plans to evacuate Ghanaians affected by xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
His demand follows the government’s announcement on Wednesday that “the evacuation exercise, initially scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 21, had been deferred for a few days to allow officials to complete critical logistical and legal requirements.”
Speaking during the opening of the Second Meeting of the Second Session of Parliament on Thursday, Mr Jinapor said the urgency of the situation required a direct briefing from the Foreign Affairs Minister.
“Mr. Speaker, the matter has become urgent because there are Ghanaians in South Africa who are going through all kinds of difficulties and are expecting that, as citizens, we, the government, will come to their aid,” he said.
According to the Damongo MP, the government had earlier assured Parliament that about 300 Ghanaians in need of support would be repatriated to Ghana.
“Suddenly, we have been told that the whole exercise has been postponed. We don’t know why. Given the development, it has become urgent for the Foreign Affairs Minister to appear before us tomorrow so that we don’t get information from the BBC but from the Minister,” he added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed in a statement on Thursday that more than 800 Ghanaians living in South Africa had registered with Ghana’s High Commission in Pretoria and expressed interest in returning home due to fears arising from the latest attacks targeting foreign nationals.
The ministry explained that the scale of the evacuation operation, as well as South African legal and aviation requirements, necessitated the delay to ensure all conditions were properly met before flights commenced.
Parliament resumed sitting on Thursday for the First Sitting of the Second Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament after a recess for the Easter festivities.
GNA
Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Elsie Appiah-Osei
[email protected]