The Ghana Armed Forces has dismissed as false and misleading media reports alleging the exploitation of Ghanaian peacekeepers in Lebanon and unusually high failure rates in military recruitment due to HIV.

In two separate press statements issued by the Department of Public Relations at the General Headquarters in Burma Camp on Sunday, January 25, 2026, the Armed Forces said the publications contained inaccurate information capable of undermining troop morale and eroding public confidence in the military.

One of the reports alleged that Ghanaian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon were restricted from shopping outside their camps and compelled to pay their own airfares when returning to Ghana on leave.

Responding to the claims, the Ghana Armed Forces clarified that the UNIFIL Force Headquarters had approved the establishment of eleven shops operated by local Lebanese traders within two Ghanaian Battalion locations. These shops, the military said, operate alongside a Post Exchange shop managed by the Battalion and provide troops with multiple shopping options.

The Armed Forces noted that similar arrangements exist for other national contingents serving under UNIFIL, contradicting claims that Ghanaian troops were limited to a single shopping outlet.

On the issue of air travel, the military stated that the Government of Ghana continues to bear the full cost of airfares for all Ghana Armed Forces personnel deployed on peacekeeping missions, including those serving in Lebanon.

In a separate release, the Armed Forces also rejected reports suggesting that nearly 60 percent of applicants who had undergone military medical screening tested positive for HIV. The military described the claim as false and misleading, explaining that the recruitment medical screening process was still ongoing and that no official results had been released.

According to the statement, steps are being taken to identify the sources of what it described as a mischievous publication, and the public has been advised to disregard the reports entirely.

The Ghana Armed Forces cautioned that the spread of unverified information could weaken discipline and morale within the ranks and harm Ghana’s reputation internationally. The military further urged journalists, bloggers and content creators to verify facts thoroughly before publishing reports on security related matters.