Authorities have shortened the overnight curfew in Hamile and surrounding communities in Ghana’s Upper West Region, two days after a deadly explosion during a border patrol near Burkina Faso.
From Thursday, November 5, 2026, residents must stay indoors between 10:00 pm and 4:00 am. That replaces the earlier 6:00 pm to 5:00 am restriction, cutting the daily curfew from 11 hours to six, according to a Ministry of the Interior statement.
Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak announced the change, which took effect through an Executive Instrument after advice from the National Security Council. Hamile, in Lambussie District, is a busy border corridor where daily trade and travel matter to local livelihoods.
What remains in force
The shorter hours do not lift the weapons ban. Possessing guns, ammunition or other offensive weapons in Hamile and nearby communities remains prohibited. Anyone found with such items faces arrest and prosecution, the ministry warned. Chiefs, opinion leaders, young people and other residents were urged to stay calm and pursue grievances peacefully.
How the blast unfolded
The original curfew was imposed on Tuesday, November 3, after an explosion during a Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) patrol in the Hamile sector.
GIS said a four-member patrol encountered a motor tricycle with two occupants travelling toward Burkina Faso on an unapproved route. When officers tried to stop the vehicle, the rider veered off the road. During the pursuit, explosives on the tricycle detonated.
One immigration officer and the two civilians on the tricycle were killed at the scene. A second officer was critically injured. Lambussie District Chief Executive Naawule Ireneous Basingbie told TV3 that smugglers were illegally moving dynamite toward Burkina Faso.
Citi News named the injured officer as Inspector Rashad Yussif. After emergency care in the Upper West Region, a Ghana Air Force medical team airlifted him from Nandom Hospital to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.
Minister visits injured officer
On Wednesday, November 4, Muntaka and senior GIS commanders visited Inspector Yussif at the 37 Military Hospital. A GIS statement said Deputy Comptroller-General Faisal Disu led the accompanying delegation. The minister expressed sympathy to the officer’s family, said government would cover medical bills from the incident, and cautioned the public against unsafe handling or transport of explosives.
Tension after the blast
The explosion triggered unrest. Aggrieved youth attacked GIS installations, and Upper West Regional Security Council and GIS officials later met chiefs and the Hamile-Happa Traditional Area Committee to ease tensions. About 10 people were reported injured in the clashes that followed. The government has opened an investigation into the blast and the disturbances afterward.
What happens next
Hamile residents regain several evening and early-morning hours for work and travel, but overnight movement remains restricted and the weapons ban stays in place. Local leaders and security agencies will be watching whether calm holds as the investigation continues. GhEcho will update this story as further official findings emerge.