Bawumia and Samira Brave Middle East Tensions To Perform Umrah in Saudi Arabia
- Former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife, Samira, have performed the Islamic Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia
- Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa reportedly helped the two leave Qatar amid tensions in the Middle East
- The tensions followed joint US-Israel attacks on Iran, which killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sparking conflict
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Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife, Samira, have performed the Islamic Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, according to updates from his camp.
This comes after the government helped him move from Qatar to Saudi Arabia amid the bombings in the Middle East.
Source: Facebook
Former MP for Lawra, Anthony Karbo, shared images of the Bawumias in Saudi Arabia on Facebook.
This came after they left Qatar, aided by travel coordinated by Ghanaian diplomatic missions in the region following direct instructions from the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye, a senior aide to Bawumia, downplayed the presumed peril Bawumia was under, saying his travel was done under routine diplomatic courtesies and not an emergency response.
“First of all, he has not been evacuated. We should put that on record. Evacuation suggests he was under some kind of distress, at risk, or under some kind of threat. That is complete misinformation."
While Qatar temporarily closed its airspace due to the hostilities, Saudi Arabian airspace has remained open.
Since February 28, joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran, which resulted in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, sparked a conflict involving different countries in the Middle East.
Time reported that more than 1,000 civilians have been killed by the US-Israeli bombing.
Iran responded with strikes across the Middle East, targeting several countries hosting US military bases, including Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
In response to the escalation, Ghana evacuated its embassy staff from Iran.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, confirmed that all diplomats were now safe.
He said the safety and welfare of Ghanaians was a top priority, amid conflict in the Middle East.
Difference between Hajj and Umrah
The Hajj is the mandatory annual Islamic pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia by muslims.
It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, and Muslims who have the financial and physical means are obligated to undertake it at least once in their lifetime.
The Hajj usually takes place during Dhu al-Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic calendar, typically in June or July.
The Umrah, on the other hand, is a voluntary, shorter pilgrimage that can be done year-round.
Source: Getty Images
Ghana registers citizens in Qatar for evacuation
YEN.com.gh reported that Ghana's Embassy in Doha had directed all Ghanaians in Qatar to register with the mission for potential evacuation.
In a statement on March 2, 2026, the Ghanaian mission in Doha said the directive had become necessary due to heightened unrest in the region.
The registration was to enable officials to communicate effectively with and assist in the event of any emergency. This will also enable the evacuation to be done in a coordinated manner amid the crisis.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
