Bolgatanga, Feb. 1, GNA – Mr Stephen Yakubu, the Upper East Regional Minister says there are no refugees from neighbouring country, Burkina Faso at the Kulungugu border in the Pusiga District of the Region.
Contrary to some reports that there were refugees at Kulungugu, a border town, the Minister, also the Chairman of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) said “I can confidently tell you that there has not been a single refugee who has crossed from Burkina to Ghana.”
He, however explained that there was a mining community across the border in Burkina Faso, where some Ghanaians from the Pusiga District worked, and said REGSEC picked information that some Burkinabes attacked the mining site and killed about three of their security personnel stationed at the mines.
He said as a result of the attack, families of the Ghanaian workers at the mines, numbering about six women and seven children crossed the border back into Ghana, “They came in, and basically went to their houses in the District.
“That is actually what happened, it is not as if some refugees crossed to Ghana,” the Chairman of REGSEC emphasized in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Bolgatanga, adding that there has not been any attack or refugees in the country through the borders.
The Minister said even though the Region was proned to attacks, Government was working to ensure that the Region was safe and the citizenry protected, “As a Region, we are getting a lot of support from government.
“We have the Regional Headquarters of the 11 Mechanized Infantry Battalion stationed in Bolgatanga, and some of the men are in Bawku, but their camp is actually at Bazua in the Binduri District to take care of the borders,” he said.
The REGSEC Chair said following the recent chieftaincy conflict in the Bawku Municipality, security in the area and border towns was beefed up, while Municipal and District Chief Executives along border towns were also entreated to provisionally earmark places for influx of refugees as a result of the situation in neighbouring Burkina Faso.
“So, if indeed there are any refugees crossing into Ghana, we will have places for them to stay and then we report to United Nations Agencies to handle. But so far, our borders are very safe, well-coordinated and Ghanaians should know that they are safe.”
Mr Yakubu added that as part of measures to ensure peace in Bawku, the National Peace Council was in the Region on the invitation of REGSEC to engage stakeholders and opinion leaders to dialogue and ensure peace returns to Bawku.
He said REGSEC would continue to work and ensure peace, law and order in the Bawku Municipality and its environs, and said REGSEC would ensure that anyone who breached the law would be dealt with accordingly.
“We do not side with any group, we are very neutral, our interest is peace and that is exactly what we are working to achieve. We keep reviewing the measures put in place in Bawku, we understand clearly the hardship residents are facing.
“But we also know that peace is the most important thing, and to get peace, we have to go through some of these restrictions. We want the good people of Bawku to know that we are with them, we understand their pain, but we want to bring peace in whatever way we can,” Mr Yakubu said.
GNA