The Executive Director of the West Africa Centre for Counter Extremism, Mutaru Mumuni Mukhtar, has called for stronger regional collaboration and intelligence sharing following reports that seven Ghanaians were killed in a jihadist attack in Burkina Faso.
Speaking on Good Afternoon Ghana on Metro TV on Monday, February 16, 2026, Mukhtar described the incident as “very serious and worrying,” warning that Ghana could no longer see violent extremism in the Sahel as a distant threat.
The discussion followed reports on BBC Pidgin that seven Ghanaians died after attackers ambushed a tomato truck in Burkina Faso.
Mukhtar said the incident, though shocking, was not entirely unexpected, given the long-running insurgency in Burkina Faso.
“For nearly eight, seven years, the country has been under this sustained insurgency,” he said.
“It is only a matter of time that we would begin to get involved in these situations as victims.”
He noted that in previous attacks, Ghanaians had often been spared, making the latest development particularly disturbing.
“This is a very different reality,” he said. “We are beginning to look at the factors or the circumstances under which this attack happened.”
Mukhtar questioned why traders continued to operate in known high-risk areas without adequate security assessment.
“If you look at Titao, where this attack happened, this is a very known area that has been under insurgency for quite some time,” he said.
“It appears that it was without any kind of security assessment of their own safety.”
He called for a review of cross-border trade arrangements to better protect Ghanaian traders.
“We need to re-calibrate what kind of measures we take in terms of security between these two countries when it comes to trade,” he added.
Responding to host Bright Amaning’s suggestion that the situation had moved beyond mere warnings, Mukhtar agreed.
“You’re right,” he said. “That requires that we escalate our commitment to dealing with this with violent extremism across the borders.”
He stressed the need for closer cooperation among security agencies and governments in the sub-region.
“This must be tackled from a regional perspective, through inter-agency collaboration, intelligence sharing and international coordination,” he said.
Mukhtar said it was still unclear whether Ghanaians were deliberately targeted in the attack.
“Traditionally, once you are known to be Ghanaian, you are spared,” he said. “So this may have been an accidental situation or some kind of random attack.”
However, he warned that deliberate targeting would change Ghana’s security posture.
“If it is the case that we have been deliberately targeted, that changes the entire configuration,” he said.
Mukhtar also warned that terrorism had serious economic consequences.
“Terrorism is very, very expensive,” he said. “It affects investment, insurance premiums, and the cost of goods and services.”
According to him, governments would also be forced to spend more on security equipment, technology and personnel.
He said regional bodies such as ECOWAS must rethink their approach to security in the Sahel.
“When it comes to security, there have been limited situations of success,” he said. “This requires new ideas and new approaches.”
Mukhtar argued that addressing governance gaps, youth unemployment and weak institutions was key to reducing radicalisation.
“We cannot succeed against terrorism by focussing on terrorists,” he said. “We need to focus on the factors that lead individuals to engage in terrorism.”
He pointed to Ghana’s national framework on preventing violent extremism and the “If you see something, say something” campaign as positive steps.
He also highlighted the importance of the Accra Initiative, which aims to promote intelligence sharing among coastal states and Sahel countries.
“Whilst the Accra Initiative appears to be in hibernation, there are renewed efforts to recalibrate it,” he said.
On whether Ghana should temporarily restrict tomato traders from travelling to Burkina Faso, Mukhtar said short-term measures could be considered.
“Immediately, we may recommend suspending movement along this route,” he said. “But beyond that, we need to address it in a more sustainable way.”
He added that Ghana must also strengthen domestic tomato production to reduce dependence on risky supply routes.
“Tomato production in Ghana, what is the state of it?” he asked. “Those things are key.”
Mukhtar urged authorities to focus on long-term solutions rooted in development and good governance.
“We need to be addressing factors that relate to governance, infrastructure and youth unemployment,” he said. “That is the most sustainable way to deal with terrorism.”
He warned that without such efforts, countries in the region would remain vulnerable.
“We will continue to have these vulnerabilities,” he said, “if we do not deal with the foundations of this problem.”
