Ghana to host overthrown Burkina Faso Prez? Kwesi Pratt advises gov’t

• Posted on November 1, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Ghana has been warned against accepting to host embattled former President of Burkina Faso Blaise Compaore, after reports from the international media claimed his convoy was seen heading to Ghana.

Mr. Blaise Campaore stepped down after massive protests against his attempt to  stay in power for 5 more years, escalated.

Interior minister Mark Woyongo has hinted that Ghana will not turn away Mr. Campaore if he calls on Ghana to host him saying “it is the accepted practice.”

But the Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt who is also a Pan-Africanist, has described Campaore as a “dangerous leader” who has a history of fomenting trouble in some West African countries.

“I would insist that Blaise Compaore should not be given asylum in Ghana at all, he’s done many dirty and dangerous things across Africa. He was the brain behind the civil war in Sierra Leone, Liberia and he was behind the organization of dissident forces to overthrow the Gbagbo government in Ivory Coast. You don’t want to have such a person on your territory because he is a danger to everybody in West Africa and a tool of French imperialism,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, Dr Yao Gebe, International Relations analyst is also against Ghana hosting Mr. Compaore.

He told Citi News that, “we shouldn’t be seen as allowing a dissident president to come and reside in our country, such a move will create problem between Ghana and the incoming Burkinabe government. we need to be very careful. Ghana as a country can decide to turn down any request of such nature from the Compaore.”

Dr. Gebe backed the massive protests in Burkina Faso that forced Compaore out saying;“It will serve as a big lesson for the rest of African leaders who are thinking of doing likewise.”

Kwesi Pratt called on Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to support Burkina Faso to recover from the trauma caused by the unrest in the country.

He said, “What ECOWAS has to do is to support Burkina Faso, support the trade unions, the civil societies, support the working people organizations in Burkina Faso to carve for themselves the system of government that they are comfortable with.”

ECOWAS during the unrest warned that it will reject an illegal takeover of power in the country.

Speaking on the Eye Witness News on Friday, the veteran journalist, Kwesi Pratt argued that ECOWAS had no business intervening in the Burkina Faso issue adding that “the people have spoken and they have spoken loud enough.”

“I was very shocked at the earlier statement that ECOWAS issued talking about legality, what is legal and what is not legal. No dictatorial regime can be toppled without a struggle and that cannot be done under the ages of the law. That’s the reality. So the call by ECOWAS that people should abide by law was in bad faith.”

-By: Godwin Allotey Akweiteh