Prez Mahama mourns traders killed in Burkina Faso terror attack, calls for regional security action

President John Dramani Mahama has expressed profound grief over the brutal killing of at least seven Ghanaian tomato traders in northern Burkina Faso, describing the attack as a grim indicator of the escalating security crisis engulfing the West African subregion.

The traders lost their lives in a terrorist attack on Saturday, February 14, while conducting business across the border. Authorities in Burkina Faso have since buried the victims with the consent of the Ghanaian government, following the collection of DNA samples to facilitate proper identification and notification of their families.

Speaking at the Ghana Tree Crop Investment Summit in Accra on Tuesday, February 17, President Mahama highlighted the grave dangers now confronting cross-border traders and warned that the deteriorating regional instability poses a direct threat to economic cooperation and the livelihoods of ordinary citizens.

“Unfortunately, we lost a number of our compatriots. Thankfully, there are a few survivors,” the President told attendees. “The Ghana Army is arranging to medevac them from Burkina Faso so that those who are injured can continue to receive treatment here in Ghana.”

On behalf of the nation, President Mahama extended heartfelt condolences to the grieving families of both the deceased and the injured, assuring them of government support during this difficult period.

The tragedy, he noted, starkly illustrates the mounting risks shouldered by traders who travel across volatile borders to sustain local markets and regional food supply chains. He called for urgent and strengthened regional security cooperation to protect citizens and secure vital trade routes against terrorist threats.

The attack has reignited concerns about the spillover effects of insurgencies in the Sahel region and their impact on Ghana’s border communities and commercial activities.