NINE PERSONS have been killed in renewed clashes between feuding factions at Bawku in the Upper East Region.
The clash, which took place Sunday and Monday, have pushed other persons into critical health conditions, even though it is not clear what might have led to the latest turmoil.
Residents believe it may have been triggered by the pending misunderstanding and periodic violent clashes in the area over the years.
On Sunday, there was an exchange of gun fire, which damaged a transformer and caused power outage in the area.
It took the support of the security agencies in the area to protect the staff of NEDCo as they worked to repair a damaged transformer and to restore power to affected areas.
Currently, electricity power has been restored to areas that had their power cut off in Bawku. The Upper East Regional Area Manager for the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), Eugene Addo, made this known.
Some residents who spoke to DAILY GUIDE in Bawku said they are living in fear, as they do not know why the deceased persons were killed on Sunday and Monday, and also, do not know when anyone may be hit by a stray bullet.
“I have been indoors with my family; we can’t go out, you can’t tell if you are a target or not. You may also be hit by a stray bullet. It is a bad situation and I pray that it stops, so that we can all be free and for our children to develop freely,” a resident who spoke on condition of anonymity to this reporter said.
From the beginning of 2022, teachers and many government workers have been transferred from the Bawku Municipality, thereby reducing the number of very important workforce in the area. There are still a large number that are also seeking transfers from various schools and health facilities.
Other residents say the situation has affected their businesses and caused many to lose their jobs because their employers folded up and run away from the frequent violent clashes and killings in the area.
Peace Council Calls For Ceasefire
The Chairman of the National Peace Council, Rev. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, yesterday called on the traditional authorities at Bawku and the Security Council of the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), to help end the killings and violence in the Bawku Municipality.
Dr. Adu-Gyamfi made the call at a presser to mark the International Day of Peace, under the theme, “Managing Ethnic Diversity in Ghana for Sustainable Peace” in Accra.
He said the killings and violence in Bawku are leaving residents in the community in fear, which is a threat to national peace in the country, and a situation the council stands against.
“Ghana is a peaceful country and the recent shooting incident in the Bawku community is disturbing the peace of residents in the community and the country in general. I am not sure anybody involved in the conflict is happy that children are not in school, the sick cannot access health services, the movement of goods and people have been restricted and freedoms curtailed,” he pointed out.
He also called on the Ghana Police Service and other security agencies to intensify the security system in the community to restore peace.
Dr. Adu-Gyamfi further stated that Bawku has been a hotspot for clashes between residents of various ethnic groups. He urged the traditional authorities, youth, and residents to desist from using violence to resolve their differences.
Executive Secretary of Small Arms Commission and Light Weapons (NACSA), Afi Yakubu, said there are still thousands of arms illegally acquired by people that are being used for all kinds of criminal activities.
“The spread of illegal weapons has been the cause of conflicts in some parts of the country. This illegal acquisition of arms poses a serious and sustainable threat to security in the country,” she said.
Ms. Yakubu called on the citizenry to assist the Police Service by reporting persons with illegally acquired arms to reduce the rate of conflicts and killings in the country, adding, “Conflicts leave indelible scars of untold suffering and separation and hardships.”
GJA Collaboration
President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, said the media will collaborate with the Peace Council with accurate data and coverage to resolve numerous chieftaincy conflicts in Ghana.
He reiterated his unwavering commitment to supporting the National Peace Council to deliver on its mandate of ensuring peace in the country.
Curfew
Meanwhile, the Ministry for the Interior has reviewed the existing curfew hours in the Bawku Municipality. Now the curfew starts from 6:00pm to 6:00am.
With this, businesses that operate mostly in the night, will seriously be affected and bring some level of hardship to affected persons and their families.
FROM: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bolgatanga & Prince Fiifi Yorke