Refugee Fulanis arrive in Bole

Security officials in the Northern Region have raised concerns about the influx into Ghana’s Northern Region of hundreds of fleeing nomadic Fulani herdsmen from western neighbour La Cote d’Ivoire.

More than 260 of the nomads and their families escaped to the Bole District as refugees after a bloody conflict against the Brifos ethnic group from Côte d’Ivoire in Bouna, a border town near Bole.

The conflict erupted after the Brifos decided that they could no longer contain the continued destruction of their farmlands by the cattle of the nomads.

The Bole District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Eric Awiadem, has indicated to the media that the police command is collaborating with the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to provide shelter for the displaced Fulanis with majority being women and children.

“The assembly has an abandoned market, which the natives are not using, so we went to prepare the place to house them. Initially, when the military came to the town for any assignments, that is where they were lodging, and that is what we have now,” he said.

He was, however, emphatic that the nomads were not allowed to cross into the country with their cattle due to the volatile nature of the area.

He said some natives had been complaining about destruction of their farms by some Fulani herdsmen for some months, so, those displaced from Côte d’Ivoire had to leave their cattle in that country.

He further revealed that some of the Fulanis managed to transport their animals through unapproved routes into the country.

“We have approved routes and unapproved routes. Some individuals, who used unapproved routes entered with their cattle. We already have a Fulani issue here, especially the farmers in Bole, who have written letters to us that they may attack the nomads [if they continue to destroy their farms], so, we stopped those from Côte d’Ivoire from bringing any animal.”

Meanwhile, personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) have been deployed to maintain peace and order in Bole and its surroundings.

Sixth Garrison Public Relations Officer (PRO) Flying Officer Elizabeth Salifu said the military “were called to assist the police and to provide escort services to those, who were crossing over to Bole".