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Brave Ghanaians Battle Insurgents in War-Torn Burkina Faso

Why Some Ghanaians Are Fighting in Burkina Faso’s Jihadist Insurgency

Ghanaians Join the Fight in Insurgency-Hit Burkina Faso

A number of men from Ghana have told the BBC that they are actively involved in the ongoing violence in Burkina Faso, where government forces and Islamist militants are engaged in a bloody battle. These people, who were all in their late 30s to early 40s, recounted horrific battle scenes that included several casualties.

After fierce fighting, one of the men described seeing as many as 100 bodies. They acknowledged joining the battle for purposes other than religious beliefs and sneaking across the 550-kilometer (340-mile) Ghana-Burkina Faso border. Rather, they asserted that their participation was motivated by enduring ethnic and familial ties, with some attempting to defend their towns against military assaults.

Another combatant, however, admitted to having a religious motivation, saying that people who die fighting with the jihadists think they will join “jannah” (heaven). Citing the savagery of the conflict, some acknowledged attacking civilians, while others acknowledged attacking people who backed the Burkinabe military.

Reports state that northern Ghanaian cattle markets have been used by jihadist organizations to recruit Ghanaians. According to the NGO Promediation, between 200 and 300 Ghanaians joined these armed groups in 2022. The fighters interviewed said that numerous Ghanaians from a variety of ethnic backgrounds were joining for ideological or financial reasons, despite a Netherlands-based think tank claiming that recruitment operations in Ghana had little success.

The profitable trade in stolen animals is one significant source of financial incentive. Cattle are taken from displaced populations by fighters, who then carry them across the border to Ghana for sale. According to cattle sellers who spoke to the BBC, this has grown to be a substantial source of income for organizations such as Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate that operates in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali.

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Tens of thousands of people have been killed and over two million have been displaced as a result of the ongoing conflict in Burkina Faso. While Ghana has been mostly unaffected by the insurgency, attacks have occurred in nearby nations like Togo and Ivory Coast.

As intercommunal violence intensifies in places like Bawku, there are increasing worries that the situation may spread to Ghana. More than 100 people have died in recent conflicts between opposing ethnic groups in this town in northern Ghana. According to reports, terrorist organizations might be infiltrating weapons into both sides through supplies of hidden onions coming from Niger.

The government is putting more emphasis on efforts to bring about peace, and Ghana’s new president, John Mahama, recently traveled to Bawku to address the violence. Security analysts caution that the terrorist influence in the area is growing, nevertheless.

The insurrection is growing, according to one of the Ghanaian combatants, who stated, “It wasn’t in Togo before, but now it is.” It can get to Ghana if it can get to Togo. However, another voiced dissatisfaction, saying that the militants had abandoned their initial Islamist mission and were now only killing without distinction and plundering animals.

As jihadist insurgencies continue to destabilize West Africa, the involvement of foreign fighters, including Ghanaians, raises serious security concerns. With recruitment efforts ongoing and financial incentives driving participation, Ghana faces an urgent challenge in preventing the conflict from crossing its borders.

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