The Minister of the Interior, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, has disclosed that violent extremist groups operating between Mali and Burkina Faso were responsible for the attack that affected some Ghanaian tomato traders.

According to him, the attackers are part of extremist groups that frequently operate in remote and ungoverned areas across the two countries.

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“They are the violent extremists. I don't have the names off head, obviously, but they operate between Mali and Burkina Faso. There's a huge challenge in Mali. Mali has a bigger challenge than even Burkina Faso, so, there are a lot of unmanned areas,” he said on TV3's Hot Issues on Saturday, March 14, 2026.

Muntaka explained that these groups often move into such areas and carry out sudden attacks on civilians before retreating.

“So, these guys move into those areas and sometimes come at a time that they are least expected, vent their anger on innocent civilians, and they run back,” he noted.

He revealed that in the particular incident, about 250 attackers on motorbikes stormed a town identified as Tito and began shooting indiscriminately.

“This particular group was on two motorbikes, about 250 of them, and they entered that town, Tito, and started shooting indiscriminately. Every male they saw was a target,” he stated.

The minister, however, commended the response by the Burkinabe authorities, saying they managed to regain control of the town within hours.

“In fact, the Burkina Faso authority did very well because within three to four hours, they were able to retake the city,” he added.

According to him, the attack resulted in significant casualties, with more than 300 people reported dead.

“A lot of people lost their lives because over 300 people lost their lives in that city. It's just too unfortunate that our citizens were caught between those fires,” he said.

Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka further disclosed that the Ghanaian authorities have been engaging traders operating in the region and advising them on areas considered unsafe.

“One thing that we are doing is that our immigration has been talking to our traders and then, together with our embassy in Ouagadougou, advising our traders as to the areas that they shouldn't go and where they should go,” he explained.

He added that the traders had previously been warned about the dangers of travelling to the affected area, but were lured by reports of cheaper tomatoes.

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“In this particular instance, even the women themselves will tell you that they were advised that those areas were not safe, and for a very long period of time, they had not been going there, but those guys there called to tell them that the tomato is cheaper, much cheaper than what they were buying.

“Unfortunately, that was the first try, and they went and caught themselves in the fire,” he said.

MAG/AE

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