The Bissa Development Association (BDA) is calling for justice in response to the alleged killing of seven Ghanaians in neighboring Burkina Faso.
The victims, hailing from the Bawku belt in the Upper East Region, were reportedly arrested by Burkinabe security forces in separate incidents and allegedly executed on suspicion of being connected with Jihadist groups.
The initial incident occurred around October 10, 2023, involving two young men, Lukuman Karim and Bashiru Nuhu, from Mognori Central, who crossed into Burkina Faso.
They were purportedly arrested and instantly executed based on suspicion of having trading links with Jihadist groups.
A second incident involved two nomadic herdsmen, originally Burkinabe citizens residing in Baribari within the Bissa belt in Bawku.
In October 2023, they crossed into Burkina Faso with their cattle to graze along the White Volta at Korlela.
The herdsmen were allegedly arrested and executed on suspicion of being informants to Jihadist groups in the area. The cattle were sent to a public location in Burkina Faso for owners to identify and collect.
On October 13, 2023, six men, including five cattle owners and Mahmudu Bani, the father of the executed herdsmen, crossed the border from Ghana to Burkina Faso to identify and retrieve their missing cattle.
Allegedly, they were arrested and summarily executed by Burkinabe security forces. The BDA questions why the security forces did not investigate the innocence of these individuals.
Expressing deep concern, the BDA highlighted the government of Ghana’s silence on the matter, which led some families to perform funerals as hopes were lost.
Condemning the alleged acts, the association urges the Ghanaian government to thoroughly investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Bissa people, primarily found in West Africa, have significant populations in Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Togo. In Ghana, they are located in the Upper East Region around Bawku, Garu, and Tempane.
“Reports are that they were arrested by Burkinabe security forces and executed instantly based on suspicion that they may have trading links with Jihadist groups.”
“On 13th October 2023, 6 men, 5 of whom are owners of some of the cattle, and the 6th person being Mahmudu Bani, father of the two herdsmen executed days earlier, all of whom are from the Bissa belt, crossed the border from Ghana into Burkina Faso to identify and retrieve their missing cattle that were sent to the identification and collection centre after the two herdsmen were executed.”
“According to sources, the 5 Ghanaian Bissas and their Fulani herdsman, Bani Mahmudu, were allegedly arrested by security forces in Burkina Faso and summarily executed. Sources allege that Bani Mahmudu, who led the 5 cattle owners, was already on a wanted list of the security forces for some alleged links to Jihadist groups.”
“While we appreciate the Burkinabe government’s effort to combat terrorism on its territory, we cannot accept the alleged summary execution of our brothers who cross into Burkina Faso for one reason or the other. The BDA further condemns the deafening silence by the government of Ghana in addressing the reports of the missing 7. It has been three long months of trauma, grief, and extreme pain for the families and loved ones of the missing persons,” the group added.