JoyNews has uncovered new details surrounding the arrest of 17 armed Burkinabe soldiers by Ghanaian security forces on December 30, 2025, an incident that triggered presidential-level intervention and almost threatened the traditionally stable bilateral security relationship between Ghana and Burkina Faso.
The incident occurred about one kilometre from the Ghanaian border village of Wuru, an isolated community in the Sissala East District of the Upper West Region. Wuru lies along the edge of the Nazinga Forest in southwestern Burkina Faso.
The arrests followed the alleged abduction and unlawful detention of three Ghanaian young men at a gold mining site located along the Ghana–Burkina Faso border near Wuru.
According to local sources and eyewitnesses, the incident began on December 28, 2025, when armed Burkinabe soldiers crossed into Ghanaian territory and stormed the mining site, which sits directly on the border.
Miners at the site told JoyNews the soldiers numbered about 300 and arrived on several motorbikes and tricycles loaded with heavy weapons, ammunition, body armour, and explosives. They were also said to be carrying food supplies, sleeping mats, and other military equipment.
The soldiers allegedly abducted three Ghanaian miners after the men attempted to flee upon seeing the heavily armed patrol.
Speaking to JoyNews, the site leader said the victims were arrested, blindfolded, and forcibly taken to the soldiers’ camp.
“The boys were held for about 24 hours without any explanation or formal charges,” the site leader disclosed. “They were not told why they had been arrested or where they were being taken.”
Angered by what they described as an illegal arrest and a violation of Ghana’s territorial sovereignty, other miners at the site decided to take action. JoyNews understands that three Burkinabe soldiers later returned to the mining area to buy food.
The miners reportedly detained the three soldiers and immediately alerted officers of the Ghana Immigration Service stationed along the border, informing them of the earlier abduction and the continued detention of the Ghanaian miners.
Security sources confirmed that officers from the Ghana Immigration Service swiftly intervened upon receiving the report.
JoyNews further gathered that additional Burkinabe soldiers were arrested when they later arrived at the mining site to check on their detained colleagues.
In total, 17 Burkinabe soldiers were apprehended by Ghanaian security forces during the operation. They were taken to a nearby camp, where security officers confiscated their weapons and discovered sandbags arranged in combat-ready positions.
The three abducted Ghanaian young men were subsequently released and handed over safely to Ghanaian authorities. No injuries were reported.
The arrested Burkinabe soldiers were disarmed and taken into custody at the Ghana Immigration Service District Base in Tumu for further investigations, as the matter was escalated to higher national security and diplomatic authorities.
When questioned, the armed Burkinabe operatives claimed they were on routine forest patrols but had lost their way and were unaware they had crossed into Ghanaian territory.
According to a senior Immigration Service officer in Tumu, the soldiers’ details were documented before they were taken into custody, and the incident was formally reported to national authorities.
However, the officer revealed that after several hours of high-level engagements, an order was received at about 9:00 p.m. the same day directing the release of the Burkinabe soldiers.
They were subsequently escorted to the border, from where they proceeded towards the town of Léo, the capital of Burkina Faso’s Sissili Province.
Following the incident, residents and miners in Wuru, Pido, Kayoro, Pindaa, and surrounding communities near the Nazinga Forest have expressed fear and called on the government to strengthen border security to protect civilians engaged in mining and farming activities in frontier areas.
“My biggest problem is security,” the Chief of Wuru said. “There is no security here. Soldiers only come when incidents like this happen. They don’t stay with us, and we are very afraid.”
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Ghana Armed Forces nor the Burkinabe military authorities have issued an official statement on the incident.
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