Conflict resolution and mediation specialist Emmanuel Bombande has commended Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak for reaching out to his counterparts in Burkina Faso following the deadly terrorist attack on Ghanaian traders in Titao.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse, Mr Bombande said the Minister’s actions reflect the right approach at this early stage of what he described as a tragic incident.
According to him, the priority now should be to respond as the first actors to the crisis by establishing the facts and understanding how the attack occurred.
“At this point of the incident, that is tragic. What we want to do is to deal with this as a first response to the tragedy and understand exactly how it happened,” he said.
Mr Bombande explained that information gathered from the incident must guide broader discussions on regional security and the fight against terrorism.
He added that similar experiences in Mali and Niger show the limitations of relying solely on national military strategies.
“There is no foolproof way that we can prevent this terrorism… Burkina Faso authorities have sustained a high level of military response, training, retooling and equipment, but it does not mean they have been able to stop attacks 100%,” he stated.
Bombande stressed that combating terrorism requires stronger political commitment and policy coordination beyond individual state responses.
“The 100% prevention goes beyond military preparedness. It requires political decisions about how we fight terrorism beyond the military response of individual states,” he explained.
He further called for renewed urgency in strengthening regional collective security frameworks, including the activation of the West African Standby Force to jointly confront extremist threats.
“If we are not politically committed to come together… each country trying to prevent on its own will never be enough, and we will continue to have these incidents,” he warned.
His comments come after the attack in Burkina Faso claimed the lives of seven Ghanaian traders, with several others sustaining injuries, raising fresh concerns over cross-border safety and the spread of extremist violence in the Sahel.
Mr Bombande urged West African leaders to move beyond fragmented national responses and adopt a united front to protect civilians and prevent further destabilisation in the region.
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