Burkinabè troops arrested in Ghana after border scare
The group, believed to be aged between 20 and 30, were picked up close to the border while reportedly establishing a defensive position with sandbags.
Security personnel in Ghana’s Upper West Region briefly detained 17 heavily armed Burkinabè soldiers after they were found inside Ghanaian territory near the community of Wuru in the Sissala East District.
The group, believed to be aged between 20 and 30, were picked up close to the border while reportedly establishing a defensive position with sandbags. They were in possession of multiple military-grade weapons and explosive devices.
Officials of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) said the arrest followed a tip-off from local residents.
During questioning, the men identified themselves as members of the Burkinabè army on routine patrol who had strayed across the border by mistake.
Despite that explanation, they were held for several hours while national authorities were notified. A directive later in the evening, at about 21:00, ordered their release.
Their weapons were returned the following day after a delegation, including staff from Ghana’s Embassy in Burkina Faso, visited to help resolve the matter.
Wuru sits within the Nazinga Forest area, a sparsely populated zone straddling the Ghana–Burkina Faso border.
Between 2022 and 2023, residents reported repeated sightings of armed men believed to be terrorist elements operating in farmlands and forested areas. Locals say those movements disrupted farming, hunting and other livelihood activities.
In recent weeks, intelligence reports have warned of renewed activity by suspected militants in the wider area, heightening community anxiety and prompting closer security surveillance along the frontier.
