According to the foreign ministry, Burkina Faso has summoned Ghana's ambassador to protest allegations that the troubled Sahel nation has hired Russian mercenaries.
After Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo claimed on Wednesday that Burkina Faso had hired the mercenaries, the summons was issued on Friday.
Russian mercenaries are currently on our northern border today. At the US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, Akufo-Addo said, "Burkina Faso has now entered into an arrangement to go along with Mali in employing the Wagner forces there."
Akufo-Addo also said, in conjunction with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, that Burkina Faso had offered Wagner a mine for payment.
Burkina Faso's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it had "expressed disapproval" of the Ghanaian president's statements after meeting with the ambassador.
It stated, "Ghana could have engaged in security-related exchanges with the Burkinabe authorities in order to have the appropriate information."
However, it did not either support or refute the claims. A spokesperson for the foreign ministry made the following statement in a separate message sent to Reuters: Regardless, Burkina has not contacted Wagner.
According to the spokesperson, Burkina Faso also summoned its ambassador from Ghana for a meeting.
There have been rumors that the authorities in Ouagadougou are collaborating with Wagner, a mercenary group hired in neighboring Mali to assist in the fight against armed groups. However, no public comments have been made on the matter.
Wagner did not directly address Ghana's concerns in a Thursday response to Akufo-Addo's remarks. But the response, which was said to be from Wagner's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that some of the crimes Wagner has been accused of in Africa were carried out by Western governments and UN forces.
The possibility of Wagner growing its presence in Africa has disturbed Western abilities, for example, France and the US, who say the gathering takes advantage of mineral assets and commits denials of basic liberties in nations where it works.
The government spokesperson for Burkina Faso did not return calls or messages seeking clarification.
No one was immediately available for comment, according to an official at Ghana's foreign ministry.
Similar to Mali, Burkina Faso is ruled by a military government that came to power with promises to improve security. The country also struggles to contain some of the armed groups that are present in Mali.
One of the reasons French troops left Mali was Mali's decision last year to use Wagner forces, which alienated the country from its Western and regional allies.
Additionally, Wagner forces have fought in Mozambique, Libya, and the Central African Republic.
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