The curfew in Hamile and surrounding communities has been lifted with immediate effect after improved security conditions in the Upper West Region’s Lambussie District.
Minister for the Interior Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak announced the decision in a statement signed on Monday, November 9.
The statement said the National Security Council had recommended ending the restrictions because of the improved security situation. The decision was subsequently implemented through an Executive Instrument.
The lifting of the curfew does not affect the existing ban on weapons in Hamile and its surrounding areas. The prohibition covers arms, ammunition and any other offensive weapons.
The Ministry of the Interior warned that anyone found in possession of firearms or ammunition would be arrested and prosecuted.
The government has also appealed to chiefs, opinion leaders, young people and other residents to help maintain peace in the border community. It urged them to raise concerns about local challenges through peaceful means and to exercise restraint.
The curfew was introduced on Tuesday, November 3, after a motor tricycle allegedly transporting dynamite towards Burkina Faso exploded during a pursuit by a Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) patrol.
One immigration officer and two civilians were killed in the incident. It was followed by clashes during which young people attacked GIS installations.
The initial restrictions required residents to remain indoors between 6:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. On Thursday, November 5, the ministry reduced the curfew period to 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.
That adjustment followed a visit to Inspector Rashad Yussif, the surviving immigration officer, at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.
Lambussie MP Professor Titus Kofi Beyuo later called on the government to remove the curfew altogether. He said the restrictions had affected trade and disrupted the daily livelihoods of people in the border town.
During weekend peace talks in Wa and Hamile, Comptroller-General of Immigration Samuel Basintale Amadu met traditional authorities, youth representatives and regional security commanders.
Officials said at those meetings that nine of the 11 civilians injured during the unrest had been discharged from hospital.