Minority criticises government over silence on Burkina Faso attack
The Minority in Parliament has sharply criticised the government for failing to brief the House on the killing of eight Ghanaians in Burkina Faso, more than a week after the incident.
Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, said Parliament had waited in vain for updates from the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, and the Interior. “We have waited in Parliament for over a week. None of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Defence or the Interior has had the courtesy to appear before the House to update us,” he told journalists after a joint Minority committee meeting.
The Minority disclosed that members of the Foreign Affairs, Defence, Interior, and Security and Intelligence Committees had formally written to summon the three ministers to explain the circumstances of the attack and outline measures to prevent future tragedies.
Fordjour described the delay as evidence of a failure in the state’s security system, particularly in protecting citizens who travel to high‑risk countries. He argued that preventive mechanisms were lacking and urged government to adopt credible security and diplomatic arrangements to safeguard Ghanaians. “Never again must such terrorist killings occur. We are mindful of the geopolitical complexities within the sub‑region and insist on sound government policies, effective mechanisms and appropriate collaboration with external partners to safeguard our citizens,” he stressed.
Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, characterised the incident as a terrorist attack requiring urgent intervention. He called for a bipartisan parliamentary inquiry, a renegotiation of the Accra Initiative, and the immediate completion of Forward Operating Bases to strengthen Ghana’s border surveillance and security architecture.
The Minority insists that protecting Ghanaian lives must remain a top national priority, especially amid rising insecurity in West Africa. Their criticism underscores growing pressure on government to act decisively in the face of terrorist threats and to reassure citizens that their safety is not being neglected.
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