The recent killings in Bawku and its neighbouring communities have gone beyond the description of chieftaincy conflict to terrorism, a security analyst, Dr. Adam Bonaa, has intimated.
He says the sporadic shooting into occupants of the truck that claimed six lives Monday in the Upper East region is akin to terrorism.
“The conflict has shifted from chieftaincy into pure criminality. Pure terrorism. What we saw today, if it’s not an act of terrorism then what is it? Firing at women who are going to trade?
“And killing them so you can make name? This is the modus operadi of terrorists and that’s what we are seeing now in Bawku especially when they are now using rocket propelled grenade. So when I see some of them demonstrating and say the military should leave, if the military leave and the police leave, who is going to protect them?” he said on Alfred Ocansey’s Ghana Tonight on TV3 Monday, January 22, 2023.
He, has, meanwhile, asked that the President speaks about the development in the area to abreast the nation on its plans in curbing the insurgency.
Dr. Bonaa says the over politicisation of the matter will not help issues since there are other dwellers on the land aside from the Mamprusis and Kusasis who are identified as NDC and NPP.
“The over politicisation of this conflict is another thing that some of us have spoken about. You ask yourself, –we know the Mamprusis are NDC, Kusasis are NPP but there are others; the Builsas, the Mosi, the Fula, –we have all of them who live in Bawku and all of them have been caught in one way or the other in this conflict and we sit and be watching on,” he noted.
“Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, ie the President, I’ve not heard him make public statement directed at Bawku. He’s also the Chairman of the National Security Council. I want to hear him talk and say that these are the measures we are putting in place,” Dr. Bonaa added.
His comments follow the shooting of six persons –including one man and five women –on board a truck from Bawku to Binduri in the Upper East region.
Unknown gunmen ambushed and opened fire on the truck on the outskirts of Binduri. The truck was on its way to the Atuba market on Monday, January 22, when the incident occurred.
Their killing followed five others who have died through gunshots, with three of them being victims of military neutralization.
The Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has condemned the attack.
In a statement, Mahama Ayariga condemned the attack and called on the Ghana Police Service to commence investigations to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.
“I once again appeal to all sides in the Bawku conflict to lay down their arms and let us end this senseless violence,” Mahama further called for calm in his statement.
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