Government Lifts Curfew on Hamile and Surrounding Communities

The government has ended the curfew on Hamile and neighbouring communities in the Lambussie District of the Upper West Region, saying security in the area has improved.

The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, made the announcement in a statement. He said the decision followed advice from the National Security Council and was made by Executive Instrument, taking effect immediately, as first reported by Citi News.

The move comes six days after restrictions were placed on the border town. They followed an explosion on November 3 in which an officer of the Ghana Immigration Service and two civilians were killed.

According to the report, the blast happened during a patrol close to the border with Burkina Faso. Immigration officers were said to have been chasing suspected smugglers who were using an unapproved route.

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Tensions between some residents and security personnel reportedly followed the explosion, and several people were said to have been injured in clashes.

The government first put in place a daily curfew running from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. On November 5, citing better conditions, it shortened the restricted period to between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.

The full lifting of the curfew follows comments by the Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service, Samuel Basintale Amadu, who had suggested that the government would not quickly withdraw the measure unless the safety of security personnel posted to the area was guaranteed.

In its statement, the Interior Ministry called on traditional rulers, opinion leaders and residents to help maintain the calm and to refrain from conduct that could stir fresh tension.

"Government urges Chiefs, Opinion Leaders, Youth, and people in the area to exercise restraint in the face of the challenges confronting them and to use non-violent means to channel their grievances into ensuring peace in the area," the statement said.

The ministry did not say whether a separate ban on carrying firearms, ammunition and other offensive weapons, which was introduced alongside the curfew, has also been withdrawn.