Hundreds of suspected criminals fleeing arrest in many West African nations have taken refuge in Ghana’s Northern Regional District of Bole Bamboi, a bustling illegal mining hub already suspected to be home to a dozen of banned Ivorian rebels loyal to deposed dictator, Lauren Gbagbo.

The disturbing report was observed from a brutal multinational military operation conducted last Friday between Ghana, Burkina Faso and Cote d’ Ivoire, in which over 300 suspects were rounded up within the borders of Ghana as compared to less than ten in her Eastern and Western neighbours.

The exercise, code named KOUDALGOU II, was conducted simultaneously along the borders of the three nations to combat cross-border crimes, such as smuggling, drug trafficking, terrorism, human trafficking, and illicit arms dealings.

It followed a multilateral security agreement among the Presidents of Ghana, Burkina Faso, Cote D’ Ivoire, Togo and Benin, to allow their heads of intelligence and security agencies to engage themselves through regular security meetings, identify security threats along their common borders and institute measures to address same.

The first of such operations code named KOUDANLGOU I was conducted among Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo and Ghana, in May 2018.