THE SOUTH AFRICAN
More than 500 people, including women and children, have been expelled from Ghana, Burkina Faso authorities said Thursday 13 July 2023 as a UN agency urged Accra to halt the deportations.
National Solidarity Minister Nandy Some Diallo said the Burkinabes had been repatriated since Tuesday into three different regions along the border. “Our compatriots have been sent back by Ghana without any real official information,” she said.
Burkina Faso faces regular deadly attacks by jihadists across much of its territory, often forcing local populations to flee. Ouagadougou’s Ministry for Territorial Administration, Decentralisation and Security said 250 people, including 130 children and 85 women, had been sent back from Ghana towards Dakola in the Centre South region.
“All these people say they were not allowed to bring home their belongings or take their administrative documents,” a statement said, adding that a government delegation had gone to Dakola.
South West region governor Boureima Sawadogo reported about 200 people had turned up at Ouessa, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Dakola. And in the centre-west region, there were some 60 refugees from Ghana, the local authorities said.
Seydou Tall, who crossed into Ghana three months ago, told local media that he and other Burkinabes, some of who had lived in Ghana for more than 10 years, had been told on Tuesday they had to leave. “We don’t know what they have against us,” said the man in his 70’s.
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