Ghana's interior minister, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, has lifted the curfew imposed on the town of Hamile and surrounding communities in the Lambussie District of the Upper West Region, after what the government described as an improvement in security, MyJoyOnline reported on Monday. Hamile sits on a route used for transit trade to the Sahel.
The decision took immediate effect, was made on the advice of the National Security Council and was issued through an Executive Instrument, a formal government order. It follows earlier reports of appeals for relief and a conditional recommendation that the curfew could be lifted on Monday. The ministry urged chiefs, opinion leaders, young people and residents to show restraint and to express grievances without violence.
A total ban on possessing arms, ammunition and other offensive weapons remains in force in Hamile and the surrounding area. The ministry warned that anyone found with such weapons would be arrested and prosecuted. The lifting concerns residents' movement; the statement as reported is not a customs or cargo decision.