Terrorists have no motivation to attack Ghana – Irbard Ibrahim

A Security Analyst, Irbard Ibrahim, says despite a terrorist attack on neighbouring Burkina Faso, Sunday, Ghana still remains a peaceful place to live, urging the public to stay calm and go about their normal duties.

In allaying the fears of Ghanaians, the security expert said terrorists that have launched attacks on neighbouring Francophone countries do not have the motivation to do same on Ghana, stressing that the former Gold Coast’s foreign policy does not have room to encourage such reprisal attacks.

He said Ghana’s foreign policy over the years has been clear with its relationship with the United Nations; to contribute soldiers to peacekeeping operations and not to join any other country to fight any militant group or whatsoever.

This, he noted, has been the key factor to demotivate the terrorists from launching reprisal attacks on the West African nation.

“All the attacks boil down to foreign policy decision. If your foreign policy is like that of Ghana and your military travels outside your country, they go there for peacekeeping purposes. They don’t go to fight any militant group. Most of the Anglophone countries are safe. The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ghana are not part of the targets of these militants. What is happening in Nigeria with regards to Boko Haram is an internal issue. But that in the Francophone countries were created by France. France has got that mentality that once I am your former colonial masters, whatever I do, you have to follow or support it, and that is causing all the chaos in those neighbouring countries,” he noted when interacting with Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.5 FM on Monday.

Irbard was responding to Sunday’s terror attack in the centre of the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou where twenty people have been reported dead and a number wounded, and its effects on Ghana.

Responding to a question as to whether happenings in Burkina Faso should be a concern to Ghana, he responded in the affirmative, noting that helicopter hovering on and around the borders Ghana and Burkina Faso as well as others for surveillance purposes will not be a bad idea.

Nevertheless, he called for calm in Ghana and urged the public not to panic but rather go about their normal duties since the West African nation is not on the radar of any terrorist or militant group.

“I take solace in the fact that in terms of our foreign policy if Ghana is not attacked, it is not because our security consciousness is special and different from others. It is because there is no motivation for them (terrorists) to attack us. So, let’s not create that motivation for them to attack us. What I anticipate is for us to beef up security at our border posts and I will entreat everybody not to panic. People should go about their normal duties because nobody is going to attack us.”