In a surprising turn of events, the president of Ghana who had previously accused the Burkinabe President, Captain Ibrahim Traore of working with Russian mercenaries to solve security issues has now turned around to work with him to tackle the problem. In May 2023, Ghanaian President Akufo Addo paid a visit to Ibrahim Traore, the President of Burkina Faso, who is also the youngest president in the world. Now, this visit is spectacular because if you can recall, just a few months back in December 2022, while the international community was still trying to make sense of the fact that there had been another coup in Burkina Faso just right months after the first one in the same year, President Akufo made a damning statement against Captain Traore. President Akifo didn’t make this statement on National Television, no, he said it during an international summit between the United States and Africa, a situation someone described as the Ghanaian President reporting Burkina Faso to the US as if the US is the Father and Burkina Faso is its child. According to President Akufo Addo, Ibrahim Traore, and his military leaders supposedly, hired Russian mercenaries from the shadowy Wagner Group to help fight the insurgency problem in the country. He added that he believed that they used a mine in the southern part of the country as a form of payment. Where the President got his information was never revealed but obviously, his statement caused a kind of diplomatic rift between the two countries which had previously had a steady diplomatic relationship.

Immediately, the Burkina Faso government condemned the Ghanaian president for not having the decency to discuss such a delicate situation with its neighbor first rather than going public with such a scathing accusation. Instead of reporting to the U.S., a member of NATO who is seeking to expand its military footprint on the African continent and does not care about the continent, why didn’t President Akufo sit down with Captain Traore to air his grievances? This is one instance that just proves that the Ghanaian president is a weak leader under the influence of Western powers. Well, regardless, the damage to the relationship between Burkina Faso and Ghana had been done.
In response to the allegations the military government of Burkina Faso denied the allegations, recalled its ambassador in Ghana, and summoned the Ghanaian ambassador to clarify the statement made by the president but they were also open about their intended cooperation with the Russian government on security issues.

Knowing that he had made a blunder, President Akufo sent its national security minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah, to undo the damage. The Security Minister held a meeting with Captain Traore where he attempted to clarify what his president said at the US-Africa summit, to which Burkina Faso was not invited. This meeting was the first step Ghana took to smoothen the tension between both countries. The president’s visit in May 2023, was another step in that direction. So, you can see why we said that the President’s visit to Burkina Faso was spectacular. President Akufo probably thought making that statement at the summit would make the US do something to remove Ibrahim Traore from power or maybe he was truly concerned about the threat of Russian mercenaries on the Ghanaian border but regardless of the motive, the president has now turned around to work with Captain Traore who is here to stay.

Not holding a grudge, a mark of a true leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore warmly received President Akufo Addo at the international airport of Ouagadougou. This visit by President Akufo has been termed a visit of friendship and work as reported by the Directorate of Communication of Burkina Faso. Although it was a closed meeting, a statement issued by the Presidency of Burkina Faso revealed that the two heads of state discussed major issues in the region regarding the security challenge. This discussion between the two Presidents is important because they are both faced with a common enemy- the jihadist. According to observers and analysts, from jihadi groups are rampant on the borders between the two countries and it has been reported that the jihadists use western Burkina Faso as a rear base to cause abuses in neighboring Ghana and to retreat. Therefore, this discussion could allow the leaders to pool their armed forces to better protect the borders and fight non-state armed groups.

The fact is Ghana needs Burkina Faso more than ever when it comes to dealing with insurgency knocking at its doors, especially from the north. A decades-long ethnic conflict between the Mamprusi and Kusasi people in Bawku – an hour’s drive from Burkina Faso’s border with Ghana – has escalated into a war, reportedly involving foreign combatants. Experts fear groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), which are expanding into Mali’s neighbors and coastal states south of the Sahel, are fueling the volatile situation in Bawku to build a base in Ghana. According to Adib Saani, a security analyst with Accra-based Jatikay Centre for Human Security and Peace Building, Ghana is currently at a major crossroads” because militants are already using the West African country as a transit point to cart ammunition to their operational areas such as Burkina Faso.

“Ghana continues to be a major logistics hub for the terrorists on several occasions. Potassium nitrate, explosive chargers, and other materials used for improvised explosive devices have been seized in Burkina Faso only for investigation to reveal that they came from Ghana,” he says. Sanni added that the terrorists have not yet resorted to attacking Ghana because it is being used for something else, a withdrawal point. This means that these terrorists stage their attacks in Burkina Faso, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire, and once they are done, they withdraw back into Ghana to restock, resupply, and go back to fight other countries. Since Ibrahim Traore has proven himself as a leader who is committed to dealing with the insurgency problem within Burkina Faso and its borders, it actually makes sense that President Akufo would want to repair the relationship between the two countries and foster cooperation on the security issues facing both countries.

One of the points highlighted regarding security issues during the meeting held by the Ghana Security Minister and Captain Ibrahim Traore was the Accra Initiative which we believe was probably discussed between Traore and President Akufo Addo. Six years ago, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo came together to find a proactive way to deal with the spillover of terrorism and violent extremism from the Sahel region. This collaboration led to the formation of what is now called the Accra Initiative. The Accra Initiative is a cooperative and collaborative security mechanism between seven West African countries as they face increasing threats and attacks from Islamist militants across their northern borders in Burkina Faso and Niger. Currently, seven in number after Mali and Niger joined in 2019, the group agreed to create a military force to fight jihadists who have destabilized the region.

Since its formation, members of the Accra Initiative have and still effectively gather intelligence on activities of extremist groups, train security personnel, exchange ideas to secure its borders, and engage in cross-border military operations. Under the Accra Initiative, member countries conducted joint military operations in 2018 and 2019 on their borders, which resulted in the arrests of about 700 suspected terrorists and gang members, and the seizure of homemade weapons. Addressing the maiden high-level counter terrorism conference of the Accra Initiative, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo said it has become imperative for member states to collaborate to counter rising levels of terrorism. He added that the goal of the Accra Initiative is to curb the spread of terrorism and that member states will own the initiative but will require their foreign partners to support them.

Some experts believe that Ghana is banking on the Accra Initiative to deal with the spillover effects of the terrorism crisis in the region. However, just relying on this initiative is not enough. According to security analyst Sanni, The African Union which is a continental body ought to take the lead in the fight against terrorism instead of leaving it to blocs like the Accra Initiative or individual countries to look for their own solutions. Sanni highlighted that it is important for all of these security initiatives by different African groups to be brought together into a single unit so that there can be a unified approach to deal with the terrorism menace in West Africa.

Sanni also added that Ghana should not stop at just mending relationships with its neighbors, especially Burkina Faso because they are major actors in the war against extremist groups. In his own words “That single visit is not enough, and we need to do more because, without Burkina Faso, we can’t win the war against terrorism.

The visit by Ghanaian President Akufo Addo to Burkina Faso and the collaboration between these two countries highlights the need for African countries to look beyond petty issues and work together for the growth of the continent. The only way Africa can grow is for Africans to work together.

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