The 2024 presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has blamed President Nana Akufo-Addo for the diplomatic tension between Ghana and Burkina Faso.
Addressing the media in Bolgatanga, Mr. Mahama criticized the President for his previous comments about the West African country and its working relationship with Russia during a trip to the United States.
He stressed the importance of maintaining good relationships with neighboring countries, stating it is the only way to enhance a comprehensive fight against terrorism in the Sub-Saharan region.
“When your neighbour’s beard is on fire, you fetch water and put it by your beard because it can spread to your own,” the former President said.
“We know what is happening in Burkina Faso, and we should be working closer with our comrades in Burkina Faso. Unfortunately, this government has created tension between us and Burkina Faso because our President went to open his mouth too widely, gossiping about your neighbour, so it has created some diplomatic tension.
“When government changes, we have to go and talk to our neighbours because we must work together. I think that we must improve our relationship” the NDC presidential candidate noted.
Mr. Mahama assured that a future NDC government would work closely with Burkina Faso to avoid any form of conflict.
On December 14, 2022, President Akufo-Addo told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Burkina Faso had engaged Russian mercenaries and had offered the Wagner group a mine as compensation.
At a US-Africa summit, the President said, “Today, Russian mercenaries are on our northern border. Burkina Faso has now entered into an arrangement to go along with Mali in employing the Wagner forces there”.
Later that year, the Burkinabe government summoned Ghana’s Ambassador for “explanations”. It later released a communiqué saying, “Ghana could have undertaken exchanges with the Burkinabe authorities on the security issue in order to have the right information”.