Ghana not on terrorists’ radar – Irbard

Security analyst and peace ambassador Irbard Ibrahim has stated that there is little likelihood of Ghana being hit by terrorists as feared by many Ghanaians.

There has been rising unease among citizens about the country being a possible terror target following recent attacks on its northern and western neighbours, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, as well as in Mali.

Gunmen on Sunday killed 19 people at Grand Bassam, a beachside resort, in the Ivory Coast.

A January attack on a hotel and restaurant in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, also killed 29 people. Several people were also killed in a November hotel siege in Mali last year.

Terrorist group al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for such attacks, heightening anxieties the group was closing in on Ghana.

But Mr Ibrahim, speaking on Accra News Thursday March 17, 2016, played down those fears saying the reasons for which those countries were attacked may not apply to Ghana.

“For me, I believe that al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM) are attacking French interests in West Africa, so, even if the attacks will happen, if it’s not Guinea, Senegal, or Togo, it will be a different Francophone country. For Ghana, it will be difficult to say we are on their radar,” he assured.

His comments come as The Pentagon on Wednesday restricted U.S. service members' travel to five West African countries, including Ghana, citing recent militant attacks in the sub-region.

The order limits unofficial travel by U.S. military personnel to Senegal, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Ghana.

Mr Ibrahim, however, insisted that there was no mechanism to determine where and when the terrorists will hit, given their manner of operation, though he observed that since November 2015 the terrorists had carried out major attacks once every two months.

“So, after the attack in the Ivory Coast, expect that there will be some time before another as their attacks are sporadic and one-off,” he added.

Mr Ibrahim, though admitting that the travel warning issued by the US will partly discourage investors from travelling to the country, said such anxiety will clear in a few weeks.