Ghana Armed Forces ready to deal with Nkwanta South security threats - Army Chief

Major General Lawrence Kwaku Gbetanu, Chief of Army Staff, warned on Thursday, July 23, 2026, in Nkwanta that the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) will deal decisively with any individual or group that attempts to disrupt peace and security in the Nkwanta South Municipality of the Oti Region. He stated that Ghana's stability must be protected at all times and stressed that Nkwanta South must not become a source of insecurity for the region or the country.

Major General Gbetanu made these remarks at the closing ceremony of Exercise Starlight Stretch II, a three-week internal security training exercise held in Nkwanta. The annual exercise is designed to enhance the operational readiness, tactical skills, and field capabilities of military personnel in responding to emerging security threats. The training involved several operational activities, including house-clearing operations, patrols, ambush drills, drone awareness exercises, cordon-and-search operations, vehicle checkpoints, deliberate defence drills, and intelligence gathering. Major General Gbetanu also disclosed that he had secured funding for the remaining phases of Exercise Starlight Stretch in 2026, adding that the programme would continue to focus on Nkwanta South.