Personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces’ UNIFIL contingent, GHANBATT 92, on Sunday, September 20, 2026, held a thanksgiving service in Tamale to mark their safe return from a year-long peacekeeping deployment in southern Lebanon.
The deployment was completed amid heightened insecurity and operational challenges in the mission area.
Following the service, the Unit commissioned two infrastructure projects aimed at improving the welfare and living conditions of soldiers: the Bezua Bawa Block, a young soldiers’ accommodation facility, and the Awuni Jackson Dining Hall.
The facilities were named after former Unit Regimental Sergeant Majors, SWO Bezua Bawa and SWO Awuni Jackson, in recognition of their dedicated and transformative service to the Unit.
The Commanding Officer of GHANBATT 92, Lieutenant Colonel Evans Yao Mensah Kumeja, said the thanksgiving service was organised to express gratitude to God for protecting all 615 officers and soldiers during the mission and bringing them home safely.
He said the contingent faced “a lot of challenges” and “a lot of insecurity” in the mission area, but divine protection, pre-deployment training and operational preparedness helped the troops complete the mission successfully.
“About 80 personnel from the northern sector, including Tamale and surrounding areas, took part in the mission and successfully completed it without any major incident, despite the volatile security situation in southern Lebanon,” Lieutenant Colonel Kumeja said.
He added that the mission had strengthened the soldiers’ resilience, discipline and ability to operate in high-risk environments.
“The soldiers have acquired new skills, especially in managing themselves and conducting operations in a volatile situation while prioritising the safety of personnel and civilians,” he said.
Casualties
Lieutenant Colonel Kumeja confirmed that, apart from a previously reported incident involving one soldier, no deaths were recorded among the contingent.
He said three soldiers sustained injuries, with one suffering critical injuries and being brought back to Ghana for treatment.
“He is currently undergoing therapy and doing well,” he said. Lieutenant Colonel Kumeja thanked the government, military leadership, soldiers’ families and the public for their support and prayers throughout the deployment.
He said the support had contributed significantly to the successful completion of the mission.
The thanksgiving service followed the battalion’s formal Mission Accomplishment Parade in Accra, where the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Lawrence Kwaku Gbetanu, declared the deployment successfully concluded.
The Chief of Army Staff also commended the troops for their bravery and discipline and praised Lieutenant Colonel Kumeja for his “visionary and courageous leadership” during the mission.
GHANBATT 92 served for approximately one year in southern Lebanon under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), amid intensified hostilities involving Hezbollah and the Israeli Defence Forces.
The battalion handed over command to GHANBATT 93 on September 10, 2026, before returning to Ghana. The contingent was received at the 5 Infantry Battalion Parade Square in Accra.
GHANBATT 92 returns home after challenging Lebanon peacekeeping mission
