Security analyst Kwesi Aning has criticised Ghanaian authorities for failing to issue any formal travel advisory to traders operating in high-risk Sahel countries, following a deadly attack on Ghanaian tomato traders in northern Burkina Faso.
Prof. Aning, a security consultant at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, said checks showed that no warning had been issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the Ghana Road Transport Union or trader groups to persons travelling to Burkina Faso, Mali and Algeria, despite growing insecurity in the Sahel.
His comments follow a jihadist attack on Saturday, February 14, 2026, near Titao, where Ghanaian tomato traders were ambushed.
According to Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, who spoke on JoyNews, the attackers forced the women off the truck and opened fire on the men. Seven men were killed, three others were seriously injured, and some of the women sustained minor injuries.
However, Eric Tuffuor, President of the Ghana National Tomatoes Transporters and Sellers Association, disputed the official figures, saying 11 men were killed, some women were abducted and the truck was set on fire.
Prof. Aning has called on state institutions and trade unions to urgently establish coordinated travel advisories and safety protocols for Ghanaians trading across the Sahel to prevent further loss of life.