Border officials fully alert on Ghana’s frontiers

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) at the Paga border in the Upper East Region is on high alert to contain any spill over from the disturbances currently ongoing in neighbouring Burkina Faso.

Personnel of the Service at an emergency meeting on Friday firmed up plans to intensify their routine border patrols in all authorized and unauthorized routes to check any influx of migrants from Ghana’s next-door neighbour.

Mr Francis Yaw Tachie, Assistant Controller of Immigration at the Paga Border Sector Command told the Ghana News Agency that there was little change in terms of influx of migrants fleeing the chaotic situation in Burkina Faso and that there was no cause for alarm.

He indicated that the Service’s prime concern was the inspection of migrants for potential Ebola careers and said that had been tackled with all seriousness and would continue, because the GIS considered the Ebola scare a security issue and would not down play it, hence the intensification of the patrols.

Mr Tachie observed that there were five point route areas where migrants most often used and indicated that the patrol teams would work around those illegal routes to ensure that illegal migrants were made to go through normal immigration checks.

He said the GIS would collaborate with officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) so that the latter could manage any potential disaster problems resulting from a possible influx of people from the other side of the border.

Ghana’s Interior Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo who happened to be in the Upper East Region on Friday visited the Paga border to assess the security situation along the frontier.

At the time of filing this report, men and women of the GIS at the Paga Border were on alert and mobilizing to kick start patrols. The GNA observed tranquility as people on both sides of the border went about their normal trading activities.

Efforts to get security personnel from the Burkina Faso side of the border to comment on the situation in their country proved futile, as they remained tight lipped on the issue.

At the Kulungugu border post near Bawku, where people travelled from neighbouring towns in Burkina Faso to do business in Bawku, there was normal movement of people across the frontier.

Mr Kenneth Dzimega, Assistant Superintendent of Immigration at the Kulungugu entry point, told the Ghana News Agency that the violence was mainly in the national capital, Ouagadougou, and said commuters from Koupela which is nearer Ouagadougu, and other towns such as Bitoua, all reported that their places were calm.

On October 29, angry protestors took to the streets of the city of Ouagadougou protesting the plans of the then President Blaise Compoare’s proposal to extend his 27- year rule through Parliamentary accent.

Ouagadougou was thrown into turmoil as the protestors set that country’s Parliament building and it’s City Hall on fire.

Meanwhile, latest information reaching the GNA has it that President Blaise Compoare announced his resignation on Friday. The country’s military has temporarily assumed the reins of power to lead a transitional process that would prepare the country towards multi-party democratic elections.