Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has called for urgent and coordinated regional action to address escalating security threats, xenophobic violence, and persistent restrictions on the movement of West African citizens.

Delivering a statement in Parliament under Rule 71, which allows members to raise issues of public interest, the Effutu MP described the situation across parts of West Africa as a “moment of profound moral reckoning” for the sub-region and urged both accountability and institutional reform within ECOWAS.

His remarks follow a series of violent incidents in the Sahel and renewed xenophobic attacks in South Africa affecting foreign nationals, including Ghanaians.

Afenyo Markin cited a February 14, 2026 attack in Titao in Burkina Faso, where suspected militants linked to Jama’at Nasr al Islam wal Muslimin ambushed a group of traders, including Ghanaians. According to his account, the attackers separated the men from the women, executed the men and set their vehicle ablaze.

Several West African nationals were killed in the incident, with survivors forced to bury the victims locally due to ongoing insecurity that prevented authorities from accessing the area. The deceased were later mourned at Techiman Central Market.

He warned that the killings highlight a broader structural threat to regional trade, noting that key food supply routes pass through volatile conflict zones, particularly the Liptako Gourma region.

The Minority Leader also referenced a major offensive in Mali on April 25, 2026, described as the largest since 2012, which targeted multiple cities and reportedly resulted in high level casualties. In response to the deteriorating security situation, Ghana has suspended trader movements along the Mali corridor.

He called on ECOWAS to establish a civilian protection framework for traders and workers operating in high risk areas.

Beyond the Sahel, Afenyo Markin condemned renewed xenophobic violence in South Africa, where African migrants including citizens from Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia have reportedly been subjected to attacks, looting and displacement.

He noted that fatalities have been recorded, including Nigerian nationals, and cited widely circulated videos showing assaults on foreign nationals. While acknowledging remarks by Cyril Ramaphosa condemning xenophobia, he insisted that stronger enforcement measures are required.

“Words do not arrest perpetrators,” he said, urging authorities to ensure investigations, arrests and prosecutions.

Turning to regional integration, Afenyo Markin criticised ECOWAS for failing to fully implement its 1979 Protocol on Free Movement of Persons. Despite provisions for visa free travel, he said citizens continue to face harassment, extortion and illegal checkpoints across member states.

“These barriers amount to a de facto tax on poverty,” he stated.

He also raised concerns about delays in ratifying the African Union Free Movement Protocol adopted in 2018, arguing that the slow pace undermines broader continental trade ambitions under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Describing the disconnect as “incoherent,” he maintained that trade integration cannot succeed without the free movement of people, and urged Ghana, host of the AfCFTA Secretariat, to fast track ratification ahead of its 2027 target.

Afenyo Markin further proposed a five point plan, including the establishment of a special committee on the safety of ECOWAS citizens abroad, accelerated ratification of the AU protocol, decisive action against illegal checkpoints, formal diplomatic engagement with South African authorities, and the development of a regional agricultural resilience strategy.

“The safety of our people must never be a matter open to negotiation,” he stressed.