Over 700 Burkinabe nationals have fled to Ghana following the terrorist attacks in neighbouring Burkina Faso.
The majority of the migrants, who are women and children, are claimed to have left a number of areas close to Bittou province in the Boulgou department local militias have been increasingly targeted by Islamist terrorist combatants.
Civilians have also come under attack following accusations by the Islamic militant fighters for collaborating with Burkina’s security and defence forces.
The foreigners are seeking refuge in communities including Bansi, Mognori, Sapeliga, Kutanga, and Yarigungu in the Binduri, Bawku municipal, and Bawku West districts.
The majority of refugees are reportedly from the Benliyali community in Burkina Faso, where two locals, including an imam, were killed in an alleged jihadist attack.
The executive secretary of the Ghana Refugee Board, Tetteh Paddy, who verified the arrival of the Burkinabe nationals mentioned that some of the refugees are being housed in Getiga, a border community in the Binduri district of the Upper East Region.
Meanwhile, the District Chief Executive for Binduri, Ayinga Yakubu Abagre has stated that plans have been made to temporarily house the Burkinabe nationals.
According to him, the assembly has been able to organise relief supplies to help the overwhelming number of Burkinabe nationals who have flooded sections of the district.
Addressing the media during a visit to six camps in the district where the Burkinabe nationals are being kept, Mr. Abagre noted that the assembly is collaborating with the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), the Ghana Health Service, and other local authorities to ensure the refugees are well-cared for.
The DCE urged donors to help the struggling refugees while cautioning them against actions that would hamper their short-term stay.
