IGP David Asante Apeatu
Drivers
plying the Ghana-Mali route through Burkina Faso now do so in fear of terrorist
attacks, two of them having been killed already within Burkinabe territory.
The
incident, which occurred in a town between Burkina Faso and Mali last week,
claimed the lives of Mouhamed Moumen and Suleiman Gariba.
Reports
indicated that the attack took place at a security checkpoint where activities of
terrorists are said to be rampant.
Speaking
during the commissioning of an ultramodern police station constructed by
residents of Tema Community 25 last Thursday, the Inspector-General of Police
(IGP), David Asante-Apeatu, urged members of the public to be vigilant.
His
advice was informed by the threat posed by terrorists in neighbouring Burkina
Faso.
Information
about the Burkina attack was released by the Chairman of the Joint Association
of Port Transport Union in Burkina Faso, Alhaji Shamsu Yaro, who spoke to Citi
FM in Accra.
The
long distance drivers were reportedly attacked by the bandits when they stopped
at the checkpoint to pay a routine levy at a town called Koury.
Mali
and Burkina Faso – both landlocked countries – transit their imports through
the Tema and Takoradi Ports using trucks to haul them to Ouagadougou and Bamako;
the two countries maintaining liaison offices in Ghana.
The
transport companies in both countries have a number of Ghanaian drivers among
them even though local Burkinabe and Malian drivers make up the bulk of them.
The
two drivers were conveying floor tiles from Takoradi to Bamako for delivery to
their consignees when the terrorists killed them.
The
long haul journey takes between a week and fortnight, with border formalities
and the condition of the trucks determining the length of the trips.
With
the introduction of the ECOWAS brown Card, there is free movement of vehicles of
member countries.
Last
year, a Ghanaian registered MAN Diesel articulated truck was set ablaze by
suspected Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State of Nigeria.
Heightened terrorist activities in neighbouring Burkina Faso have prompted thoughts about our porous borders.
The
French-speaking country shares cultural affinities with Ghana.
There
are many descendants of Burkinabe migrants in Ghana, some of the fourth
generation.
Some
of their ancestors fought in the ranks of the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal
West African Frontier Force, especially during Second World War.
The
ease with which Burkinabe and Mali nationals are able to enter Ghana, many of
them without passports, makes security management of such nationals even more
challenging.
During
a regional commanders meeting of the Ghana Immigration Service, the Minister of
the Interior, Ambrose Dery, spoke about a security alert in the country in the
light of the terrorist activities in Burkinabe Faso and Mali.
In
the former, engagements between local forces and the terrorists have claimed many
lives, putting fear into Ghanaian nationals, especially those living along the
border.
Observers
have called for alertness from not only security agents but also citizens,
especially those living along Ghana’s frontiers.
IGP’s Demand
Last
month, French marines rescued four foreign nationals from terrorists who were
holding them.
Two French soldiers died in the daredevil rescue operation.
By A.R. Gomda
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