GITMO 2 to remain in Ghana

The two former Guantanamo Bay detainees in Ghana will continue to stay in the country although the two-year agreement with the US government has expired.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, who made this known in Parliament on Wednesday said the two have been given refugee status and are therefore the responsibility of the Ghana government.

According to her, there is no exit arrangement in the agreement entered into by the erstwhile Mahama-led administration with the US government.

“It is to be noted that no exit arrangements were originally discussed between the two governments to end the bilateral arrangement by the time of negotiations. The US has also been clear in our discussions with them that per the agreement, returning them to the United States is not an option open to discussion or negotiations. This means that all obligations relating to the two subjects has now become the responsibility of Ghana.”

She also told Parliament that per the records available to government, the two had been granted Ghanaian refugee status in a letter dated July 21, 2016.

“The government at the time granted the two detainees refugee status. This followed a request by National Security to the then-Chairman of the Ghana Refugee Board. They were issued a decision letter dated 21st July 2016, recognizing their status as refugees.”

The Minster explained further that “the implication is that, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees of 1951, and the 1967 protocol on the Status of refugees as well as the provisions of the Refugee Law (1992) PNDC Law 305 (d) of Ghana, the two have attained the status of refugees in our country.”

Background

The GITMO Two — Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby — were brought to Ghana in 2016 for a period of two years under an agreement between the governments of Ghana and the United States.

The agreement officially ended on January 6, 2018.

The two were in detention at Guantanamo Bay for 14 years after being linked with the terrorist group Al-Qaeda but were brought to Ghana in 2016 for a period of two years.