Monrovia — Lieutenant General Arnold Quainoo, a former Chief of Defense Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, has passed away at the age of 82. He died on Monday, December 2, at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra, according to a report by Graphic Online.
Lt. Gen. Quainoo, affectionately known as the "Buffalo Soldier," served as the Chief of Defense Staff from August 1983 to September 1989. He is remembered for his exceptional military service, including his role as the first commander of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG).
Under his leadership, ECOMOG intervened in Liberia during the civil war, marking a significant milestone in West African peacekeeping efforts. However, it was under his watch that the Independent National Patriotic Front (INPFL) led by the late Prince Johnson captured and killed President Samuel Kanyon Doe in September 1990. Some blamed him for being complacent in Doe's death.
However, responding to the incident 24 years later in 2014, Quainoo denied responsibility for the death of President Doe.
Throughout his military career, Lt. Gen. Quainoo held various leadership roles. He served two terms as Army Commander, the first in 1979 after the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) overthrew the Supreme Military Council (SMC) in a coup. However, he was replaced later that year when the civilian government led by President Hilla Limann came to power.
Following the 1981 coup by the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC), Lt. Gen. Quainoo was re-appointed Chief of Army Staff. He later rose to the position of General Officer Commanding the Ghana Armed Forces, serving with distinction during a transformative period in Ghana's military history.
Lt. Gen. Quainoo's legacy as a trailblazer in regional peacekeeping and a respected military leader will be fondly remembered.
Lieutenant General Arnold Quainoo was a former Ghanaian military officer who served as Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces from August 1983 to September 1989.
He succeeded Flight Lieutenant J.J. Rawlings. Quainoo was also the first commander of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), which intervened in Liberia to help end the civil war.
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He served twice as Army Commander, first in 1979 following the coup d'état by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council that overthrew the Supreme Military Council. He was replaced after the Limann government was elected but was reappointed Chief of Army Staff following the coup by the Provisional National Defense Council.
Later, he served as General Officer Commanding the Ghana Armed Forces.
