Burkinabe Women, Kids Flee To Ghanaian Town

A section of the refuge seekers at Widnaba

Some nationals of the Republic of Burkina Faso numbering over 250 are currently seeking refuge in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region, having fled from a chieftaincy dispute in a town called Zoaga.

They claimed the dispute had led to loss of lives, while many houses and other property had been destroyed. In their quest to continue living, they decided to run to the nearest communities which happen to be Widnaba and Tilli.

The Zoaga town is in the Central East Province of Burkina Faso and it takes at least four hours to walk briskly to enter the Bawku West District from there.

Ghana has been keeping some security personnel at Widnaba for some time to man the border it shares with Burkina Faso.

Earlier this year, (January 2019 to be precise) when the misunderstanding ensued, some members of the Zoaga community numbering a little over 100 ran into the Bawku West District through the same Widnaba and Tilli communities.

Some of them had left Widnaba and Tilli for other communities in the district. 

The latest number of persons also running from the conflict this February has come to add up to the existing number, thereby increasing the refuge seekers to over 250. These are mostly old and young women with children, with some having babies.

The District Chief Executive for Bawku West, Victoria Ayamba, accompanied by the District NADMO Coordinator, Daniel Atampuba Anania, had since visited these women at a location near the security post at Widnaba.

The assembly and NADMO presented some relief items to the Burkinabe escapees while they monitored the situation back home.

Madam Ayamba advised the ‘refugees’ to be disciplined and desist from acts that are counter-productive. She urged the security personnel at the Widnaba Border Post to be vigilant and ensure that they are not taken by surprise.

A DAILY GUIDE source close to the Widnaba Border Post, says the ‘refugees’ have not shown any sign of being dangerous to their host community and will monitor them closely to ensure that their presence does not result in any problem in the community.   

FROM: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Widnaba