Former Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul has raised concerns about the recent terrorist attack on Ghanaian tomato traders in Burkina Faso, linking it to the government’s approach toward Burkina Faso’s leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
In an interview with Citi News, Nitiwul questioned why Ghanaians were targeted despite the attackers clearly knowing they were from Ghana.
“The attackers knew these were Ghanaians, so why did they go ahead to attack them? They knew this was a Ghanaian-registered vehicle; they knew they were speaking English,” he said.
He also reflected on past trends, noting that Ghanaians had previously traveled safely to Burkina Faso even during periods of high terrorism.
“During the period of 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, this was the time that terrorism was high in Burkina Faso.
Ghanaians were going there but they never attacked them. In fact, when they saw that you are a Ghanaian, they allowed you to pass. Why are they attacking Ghanaians now?” Nitiwul asked.
The former minister attributed the change to Ghana’s recent diplomatic posture toward Captain Traoré, who came to power through a coup.
“I think we are beginning to create enemies for ourselves. Why did we invite Captain Traoré for the swearing-in when he was a coup maker?
The man is fighting terrorism on our border. He is fighting people who could target us. What was the use? Why were we cheering him?” he added.
