Bawku conflict: Prof. Kwesi Aning laments extreme politicisation of resolution interventions

Prof. Kwesi Aning

Security consultant, Prof. Kwesi Aning has called for a united approach to deal with the conflict in Bawku.

The age-old conflict in Bawku and its environs in the Upper East Region has dominated the news since last week after three persons were killed following a shooting incident.

Speaking to Joy News, Prof. Kwesi Aning lamented what he described as extreme politicisation of the resolution interventions.

He said this has not helped in dealing with the root cause of the problems fueling the conflict.

"I think the unfortunate part of this Bawku crisis has been extreme politicisation of the resolution interventions. If it is Party A that is in power, their approach to resolving the conflict is different from Part B. But the root of the conflict is the same.

"And therein lies my argument earlier, that when the root of a conflict becomes overlooked, it festers, becomes intractable then others begin to exploit it for their pecuniary ends. That is what we are seeing," the Security consultant shared.

Prof. Kwesi Aning insists that to deal with the Bawku conflict, “we need to take the politics out of understanding what the problem is, what the intervention options must be, and when there is consensus about the intervention, [there must be] consensus to pursue to its legitimate end.”

Meanwhile, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has refuted allegations that its personnel are responsible for the recent killing of civilians in Bawku.

This follows the report that soldiers deployed on Operation Maida Buuri to restore calm in the conflict-prone area have killed 3 innocent Kusasi youth at Sabongari, a suburb of Bawku.

Reports also alleged that the victims were initially held in custody by troops and subsequently executed.

It was further reported that the Missiga Assemblyman personally approached the Bawku Detachment at about 1930hrs to negotiate the release of the victims.

In a press release from the Ghana Armed Forces issued on Saturday, January 20, it said, “GAF wishes to categorically state that these allegations are false and unfounded.”

The release noted that as much as GAF regrets the demise of the assailants, the escalating violence in Bawku is unfortunate.