The clash between supporters of the NDC and the NPP in Karaga in the Northern Region on Wednesday coming a few weeks before the December polls is a test of the security agencies’ ability to respond swiftly to election related eventualities.
It will appear that the Northern Regional Police Command and the election security team especially must wake up.
We wonder what mark to give them for the manner in which they managed the incident. Were they surprised by it? Were they aware about a looming clash but were helpless in averting it?
Answers to these questions will put us in a better position to determine the preparedness of the security agencies to deal with election related eventualities.
The intelligence units of the countrywide police commands should be on top of their jobs. There is no doubt that the Karaga incident could have been detected long before it took place.
Although there was no fatality the injuries suffered by some victims should tell us something about the importance of being smart about the forthcoming polls.
The stakes are high and so little sparks could be sources of trouble. That is why we think that the security agencies especially those involved in policing the elections should be up and doing. Shouldn’t they be deployed a week ahead of the polls especially in flashpoints?
We have not ruled out possibilities of patches of incidents in some electoral areas but these we still maintain would not be enough to compromise the December 7 polls.
We hope that the Karaga incident will prompt the regional police command to set its eyes on the location as a flashpoint. Reprisal actions by some aggrieved persons in both leading political parties can be sources of trouble, something we will not want to happen at this time.
The parliamentary candidates of the NDC and the NPP should work with the Police and the district security council of the Karaga area to calm down nerves.
When the rank and file membership of the parties see their candidates talking and shaking hands, the gesture will go a long way in reversing the tense atmosphere which the recent clash triggered.
The countrywide district security councils should work with their communities and traditional authorities towards peaceful elections on December 7.
The recently inaugurated Peace Council has an important role in this direction. It is not too late for the council to play a role in ensuring peaceful elections.
The council should lead the charge at the district levels through expedited engagement sessions with traditional rulers and the clergy of both faiths towards maintaining peace.
We must maintain the peace. Those who work against this should be arrested and prosecuted.