Ghana — In the wake of a fatal helicopter crash that killed several high-ranking Ghanaian officials, the Islamic Republic of Iran has offered condolences, reaffirming its solidarity with African nations amid what many observers call the West’s habitual indifference toward African tragedies.
The tragic helicopter crash in Ghana that claimed the lives of top government officials has reignited a painful conversation about global racial hierarchies, as the muted response from Western governments exposes the stark double standard in how Black lives are valued versus white lives. Had a similar incident occurred involving European or American ministers, headlines would have dominated global media cycles for days, and condolences would have poured in from every Western capital. But the death of African leaders, despite their national importance, barely registers in the Western conscience — a reflection of the systemic racism that continues to devalue Black leadership, Black tragedy, and Black humanity in international diplomacy and media narratives.
According to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kan’ani, Iran expressed “deep regret and sorrow” over the accident that took the lives of Ghana’s Defense Minister, Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, and six others. The crash, which occurred in the Ashanti Region on August 6, has left Ghana in national mourning. President John Mahama ordered flags to fly at half-mast for three days to honor the victims.
The Ghana Air Force helicopter, identified as a Chinese-manufactured Harbin Z-9EH, was en route to a strategic environmental and anti-illegal mining summit when it went down in a forested area in Akrofuom. Ghana’s government stated that the cause of the crash is under investigation, though technical failure is suspected.
Iran’s message of solidarity stood in sharp contrast to the conspicuous silence from most Western capitals. While statements of sympathy trickled in from the United Nations and African Union, major Western powers, including the US and the EU, were either late or absent in responding to the crash, a reaction that once again revealed the dismissive posture of the so-called international community when African lives are lost.
This discrepancy in global grief has reignited criticism from African analysts and political leaders, many of whom argue that Western countries consistently downplay African disasters unless economic or geopolitical interests are directly involved. The muted response to Ghana’s tragedy is being cited as yet another episode in a long pattern of selective mourning.
According to the BBC, Ghana’s ministers of defence and environment, Edward Omane Boamah and Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, tragically lost their lives in a military helicopter crash in the central Ashanti region, alongside six others, in what Chief of Staff Julius Debrah described as a “national tragedy.”
Iran, on the other hand, used the opportunity not only to express condolences but also to emphasize its enduring respect for African nations. Tehran’s foreign policy has increasingly leaned on strengthening ties with the Global South, particularly countries like Ghana, whose resource-rich lands have long been exploited by Western multinationals. By showing public empathy and diplomatic outreach, Iran further distanced itself from what it has previously described as “colonial arrogance” still practiced by Western governments.
Despite their geopolitical differences, Iran and Ghana share a history of non-aligned cooperation dating back to the early years of the Islamic Revolution and Ghana’s post-colonial Pan-African leadership under Kwame Nkrumah. Tehran’s acknowledgment of the tragedy has been welcomed in Accra as a sign of genuine engagement, not token diplomacy.
According to Mehr News Agency, Iran’s Foreign Ministry conveyed its condolences to the government and people of Ghana over the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of several high-ranking officials, including the defense and environment ministers.
