Executive Director of West Africa Centre for Counter-Extremism (WACCE), Mutaru Mumuni Muqthar has advised the government to strengthen security at the Paga border between Ghana and Burkina Faso.

This, he said, will help build strong protection for Burkinabes and resilience against incoming invaders under the guise of refugees.

“We need to build a sense of resilience by ensuring that genuine individuals who are here for refuge are provided that support that they need in order not to create a situation of marginalisation against this group,” he said.

Speaking on The Pulse on Tuesday, he explained that it was in Ghana’s best interest to ensure that Burkinabes coming in were safe to prevent them being used against the local people.

“When they feel marginalised and even sometimes targeted, it could serve as a situation of recruitment and they could in fact turn against the local population. It’s important that we do not wait till the situation escalates beyond our capacity to handle,” he told host, Blessed Sogah.

The Executive Director believes if the security services train locals on defensive measures, it will help to deter rebels.

“We need to come to a common page. When I say that, I mean the state security services have a template with which they operate, we need the local population to be on the same page with the local security and state security on how they will handle this situation.

“How do local security members engage this population that is coming in, do we see them as a threat or people who need support from us,” he quizzed.

Mr. Muqthar wondered if the security services at the border had the necessary resources to carry out the required search on the immigrants.  

“How do we ensure that we support local police to ensure that they do proper profiling of all the individuals that are coming in to ensure that only genuine refuge-seeking people come into this space? At the moment we do not have that kind of blueprint,” he added.

As at January 29, at least 4,000 Burkina Faso nationals sought refuge in some parts of the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region, following terrorists’ attacks in some border communities in Burkina Faso.

The refugees moved to Ghana after some homes in Zoago, Bugri and Zabre, farming communities in Burkina Faso, including a police station, were attacked by terrorists believed to be jihadists, leading to loss of lives.

Many people, especially women and children, have been displaced as a result while others have sought asylum in other areas, including Ghana.