By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, Dec 5, GNA – Some community leaders in border districts in the Upper East Region have undergone training on activities, and tricks extremists use and threats of terrorism along the borders.
The training was part of efforts to equip them with knowledge of threats of terrorists and extremists’ groups to help them support efforts to prevent any spillover in the country and help maintain the prevailing peace for sustained development.
It was organised by the Rural Initiatives for Self-Empowerment Ghana (RISE-Ghana), an advocacy Non-Governmental Organisation with funding support from the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) under the Sahel Emergency Response project.
It brought together chiefs, queen mothers, assembly members, youth leaders, Ghana Private Road Transport Union and other community leaders from the Bawku Municipal, Bawku West, Binduri and Kassena-Nankana West Districts.
Mr Awal Ahmed Kariama, Executive Director, RISE-Ghana, noted that as result of the terrorists’ attacks in neighbouring countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Togo among others, many people who have fled their countries were seeking shelter in Ghana.
He said many of them settled in border districts of Ghana including Bawku Municipal, Bawku West and Binduri Districts and the situation had not only put pressure on social amenities but put the communities at risk of external attacks.
“The idea of this whole project is to see how the communities can build their resilience to be able to cope with this influx of these refugees and prepare the communities to avert any possible spillover from the terrorists’ attacks,” he said.
The Executive Director noted that the activities of the terrorists were in a certain pattern that was descending southwards from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso and there was the need for measures to be taken to safeguard the territory of the country.
“We are expecting the community leaders who are here to go back and hold community level engagements, create and deepen awareness about issues of terrorism in their communities and support its prevention,” he added.
Pe Ayikode Zangwio Atoge IV, Paramount Chief of Katiu Traditional Area in the Kassena-Nankana West District lauded RISE-Ghana and its partners for the project and noted that it would reawaken people to take their personal security seriously.
The Paramount Chief noted that apart from the fact that the project would complement government interventions including ‘see something say something’ campaign, there was the need to include communities which were not bordering neighbouring countries in the campaign as the whole nation was at risk.
Pe Atoge IV who is also the Convener of Justice and Security Committee of the Kassena-Nankana West, urged traditional authorities to join the campaign and use their varied platforms especially during durbars and festivals to educate their subjects about the issues of extremists to enable them to report any suspicious characters and activities to the security agencies for action.
Pognaab Lamisi Awini, Queenmother, Widnaba Community in Bawku West District noted that apart from the borders being porous, people especially women from Ghana and Burkina Faso engaged in economic activities particularly at the Yelwongo market in Burkina Faso and it was imperative for the women to be educated on the activities of terrorists to help protect themselves.
GNA