Abugri writes: The Bawku conflict and cross-border trade.
As a border town, Bawku is bordered to two French speaking nations – Burkina Faso and Togo. Individually, people from Bawku do transact business with traders in these countries. It is also a common knowledge that there exists a spillage of families between these sister nations. It is common to find close family relations scatted within these countries.
It is also an undisputable fact that both Togo and Burkina Faso have recorded terrorist attacks. Burkina Faso is currently battling it fiercely with multiple gangs of terrorists’ bandits. Just like the famous Bagre dam that deposits its wasted water into the shores of Ghana, so will the over growing gangs of terrorists in Burkina and Togo will do if care is not taken.
Per their nature, terrorists’ will usually want fertile ground to grow. Conflicts are bells that invites these bandits to feast. As the Bawku conflict wages on, there is therefore the need to institute pragmatic measures to protect our borders.
A collective effort is required to safeguard our borders, especially Bawku and its environs which is just a stone throw away from these terrorists infested countries.
It has been reported numerously that Ghana risk suffering a terrorist attack from some of these countries. The proximity of Bawku, a chronic conflict border town to these countries makes the municipality more vulnerable.
It will be unbearable for the state should these bandits penetrate into this country. It will therefore be in the best interest of all Ghanaians that the security agencies intensify their patrols and security tactics at the borders.
One of the ways to prevent any penetration of these bandits, will be to put a temporal ban relative to cross-border business engagement between persons from Bawku and their trade partners in these countries for now.
It appears unsafe to allow cross-border trade between people from Bawku and any other person from these countries.
To prevent, is better than to cure!