The Ghana Refugee Board has confirmed that it has received reports indicating that 1,238 Burkinabe nationals have crossed Ghana’s border into the country.
The migration is a result of the current political instability in Burkina Faso where President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré has been deposed by the military.
Speaking to Evans Mensah on Newsnight, Monday, January 31, 2022, Project Coordinator for Ghana Refugee Board, Tetteh Paddy, said the board is yet to determine whether these immigrants are actual asylum seekers.
“We have received reports that about 1,238 persons have crossed the border. We intend to embark on an assessment exercise to assess these individuals. It is not automatic that anybody who crosses the border is accepted as such. So we plan to bring in the investigative agencies just to make sure that these persons are indeed genuine refugee seekers,” he said.
He added: “I can assure you that we are not taking the security of the state for granted by simply allowing people in as asylum seekers or refugees.”
Meanwhile, the Defense Minister, Dominic Ntiwul, has assured that the security agencies are keeping an eagle eye across the country’s borders.
He noted that his sector has deployed enough military and police personnel to secure the borders in the country to avert any danger.
“…be assured that the security agencies have the situation under control and we have an eagle eye on the movements and activities across our borders. That I can assure the people of Ghana. What I can say is that we have deployed enough security particularly soldiers and police within the operations area,” he stated.
According to him, considering the number of attacks in neighboring countries, the government will conduct a security assessment of all persons entering the country through the borders to ensure the safety of the citizens.
