Policitiscation of the conflict in Bawku is making it difficult to find solutions to the issues, a security analyst, Dr Adam Bonaa, has said.
Beyond the deployment of the military personnel to the area, there should also be a dialogue session held for the people to realize the need to stop killing themselves, Dr Bonaa said.
Speaking on the Ghana Tonight show on TV3 on Monday, January 22, he said “You can put all your military and Police officers in Bawku, if the people in Bawku decide to kill themselves and we are not engaging them through rightful strategies and measures in trying to let them silent the gun, we will just be pushing in human resources and all.
“What we are seeing today, some of us predicted it about a year ago and it is going to get worse unfortunately but then I think that we have the opportunity to fix it and fix it right The over-politicization of this conflict is another thing some of us have spoken about.”
Bawku has been in the news lately because unknown gunmen earlier fired into a group of people at the community center in the town on Wednesday, January 17, resulting in the death of two persons, while four others were injured.
The Member of Parliament for Bawku Mr Mahama Ayariga described the incident as dastardly and unacceptable.
Mr Ayariga called on law enforcement agencies to act immediately to arrest and deal with the perpetrators.
Commenting on this matter earlier on the Ghana Tonight show on TV3 on Thursday, January 18 with Alfred Ocansey, Mr Ayariga said “It is unfortunate that we continue to experience this situation that has caused so many lives to be lost, so many people to be injured and hospitalized and so much property to be lost in Bawku central constituency.
“…those who were killed yesterday, that was dastardly, that was unacceptable and the perpetrators must be searched for by the law enforcement agencies and dealt with.”
Another group pf gunmen also attacked a bus carrying students of the Presbyterian Nurses Training College, Bawku. This occurred near Binduri in the Upper East region on Friday, January 19.
Mr Ayariga confirmed the news on the Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, January 20.
Mr Ayariga said “It has been confirmed that such an incident happened.”
“The report I got is that the injuries are gunshot related injuries, we will ascertain the full details later.” A number of students who were injured due to the attack were rushed to the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital for treatment.
The Minister for the Interior, by Executive Instrument, had renewed the curfew hours imposed on Bawku Municipality and its environs in the Upper East Region from 8:00 pm to 5:00 am effective Friday, January 12, 2024.
The government called on Chiefs, Elders, Opinion Leaders, Youth and people of the area to exercise restraint in the face of the challenges confronting them as well as to use non-violent means to channel their energies into ensuring peace.
Meanwhile, there is a total ban on all persons in the afore-mentioned communities and their environs from carrying arms, ammunition or any offensive weapon and any persons found with any arms or ammunition will be arrested and prosecuted.