Ghana forcibly deports hundreds of people who had fled extremist violence in Burkina Faso, says UN

By FRANCIS KOKUTSE and ZANE IRWIN
Associated Press

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — The United Nations says that Ghana has forcibly deported hundreds of people fleeing violence in Burkina Faso, many of them women and children seeking safety in northern Ghana. Extremist violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group has ravaged the West African country for years, killing thousands and displacing more than 2 million people internally. Thousands more have fled to neighboring countries. As of July last year, nearly 40,000 people had fled, with half going to Mali and more than 11,000 to Niger. Ghana’s security ministry said the accusations that people were expelled were baseless and Burkina Faso citizens who wanted to return were being repatriated.