Former Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul has attributed the recent terrorist attack on Ghanaian tomato traders in Burkina Faso to what he describes as the Ghanaian government’s overly favourable posture toward Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
The Bimbilla MP, speaking in an interview with Citi News, argued that the invitation extended to Captain Traoré to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President John Dramani Mahama may have sent the wrong signals in a fragile sub-regional security environment.
Nitiwul noted that even during the height of terrorist activities in Burkina Faso between 2018 and 2021, Ghanaian nationals were largely spared from such attacks and were often allowed safe passage once their nationality was established.
“The attackers knew these were Ghanaians, so why did they go ahead to attack them? They knew this was a Ghanaian-registered vehicle; they knew they were speaking English,” he said.
He questioned the shift in treatment, adding: “During the period of 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, this was the time that terrorism was high in Burkina Faso, Ghanaians were going there but they never attacked them. In fact when they saw that you are a Ghanaian, they allowed you to pass. Why are they attacking Ghanaians now?”
The former Defence Minister suggested that Ghana may be “beginning to create enemies for ourselves” by publicly associating with Traoré, whom he described as a coup maker, despite the Burkinabé leader’s ongoing fight against terrorist groups operating near Ghana’s northern border.
“Why did we invite Captain Traoré for the swearing-in when he was a coup maker? The man is fighting terrorism on our border. He is fighting people who could target us. What was the use? Why were we cheering him?” Nitiwul queried.
He called on the government to urgently reassess its diplomatic and security relationships with neighbouring countries to avoid further escalation of risks to Ghanaian citizens operating or travelling in the sub-region.