Security forces in the Sissala East District of Ghana’s Upper West Region have arrested 17 heavily armed Burkinabè soldiers found within Ghanaian territory.
The soldiers, aged between 20 and 30, were apprehended near the border community of Wuru, about an hour east of Tumu, while reportedly attempting to establish a combat position with sandbags. Authorities recovered numerous military items, including firearms and explosives.
Officials of the Ghana Immigration Service said the operation followed a distress call from residents who spotted the armed men. “We responded swiftly, successfully ambushed them, and transported them along with their weapons to our office,” an official stated.
During interrogation, the men claimed to be on a routine patrol for the Burkinabè army and said they had lost their way. Despite this, they were detained for several hours until a directive from national authorities ordered their release at around 9:00 p.m. Their weapons were returned the following day after a delegation from the Ghanaian Embassy in Burkina Faso intervened.
The Wuru community is located within the Nazinga Forest range, an area where residents have previously reported frequent armed sightings between 2022 and 2023, which have disrupted farming, hunting, and other local economic activities.
