Bawku / Accra – July 2025

What began as isolated security alerts along Ghana’s northern border with Burkina Faso has evolved into a growing national concern, as cross-border violence, armed group movements, and ethnic tensions begin to reshape Ghana’s internal security outlook.

In recent weeks, the Upper East Region—especially around the flashpoint town of Bawku—has seen escalating reports of clashes, gunfire, and civilian displacement, raising red flags among both Ghanaian authorities and international security observers.

Experts warn that Ghana, long seen as a stable democracy and buffer state between the Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea, may now be feeling the pressure of the Sahelian insurgency creep.

“We are seeing the early signs of what could become a serious destabilization effort,” says Dr. Kwesi Aning, a counterterrorism expert at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre. “The violence is no longer contained within Burkina Faso—it’s seeping across the border.”

The Ghana Armed Forces have increased patrols and intelligence operations, while the government has dispatched interior and defense ministers to assess conditions firsthand.

Key concerns include: – The presence of armed militants or jihadist cells operating from southern Burkina Faso – The recruitment of local youth by foreign extremist networks – Clashes between ethnic groups such as the Mamprusi and Kusasi, further inflamed by weapon proliferation

In 2024 alone, over 6,000 Burkinabè refugees reportedly crossed into Ghana seeking safety, some of them settling in vulnerable, poorly monitored border communities.

Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo recently called the developments “deeply worrying,” urging ECOWAS and the African Union to coordinate more closely on cross-border security.

Despite ramped-up security, many residents say they feel abandoned.

“We hear gunshots at night. Our markets are empty. Children are afraid to go to school,” says Lydia Azumah, a nurse in Zebilla. “If the government doesn’t act faster, things will get worse.”

The UN, USAID, and the EU have expressed concern, pledging increased humanitarian and development aid to buffer border communities.

Analysts now warn that Ghana must rethink its traditional role as a “safe zone” in West Africa and prepare for hybrid threats—where terrorism, local conflict, and climate displacement intersect.

“Stability is not automatic,” says Dr. Aning. “Ghana must act decisively, or risk joining the long list of countries caught in the Sahel spiral.”