Review Security At Bawku - NGO
THE Executive Secretary of the West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP), Emmanuel Bombande, has called for an immediate review of the security coordination at Bawku to forestall further violence.
He pointed out that the current curfew imposed on the area has a lot of lapses as most of the violence has occurred during curfew hours.
Mr Bombande was speaking with the Times in Accra on what the network, a think tank for peace negotiations expect government and other stakeholders to be doing to end the renewed violence in the area.
He said the curfew was proving ineffective, saying the network has gathered information that some military personnel are beating up the local people and this does not foster friendship.
'Friendship is needed to effectively enforce the curfew in the area because this will make the people cooperate better,' he emphasised.
Mr Bombande stated that members of the network will visit the area tomorrow to ascertain the veracity of such reports and also assess the general situation.
He expressed fear that the recent incidence of violence in certain spots of the country, besides Bawku, has the potential to disturb the peace during this year’s general election.
He said other volatile spots such as Yendi and Anloga which he said had some political undertones could easily be used to incite violence during the election.
Mr Bombande stated that such areas were already vulnerable in terms of suspicion and mistrust and 'these have a polarising effect on the political scene.'
He reminded the government and all stakeholders that the international community does not judge the freeness and fairness of an election based on the many areas that conduct the election free of violence.
'Any violence that happens in just one part of the country during elections affects the whole electoral process,' he stressed, adding that it soils the country’s democratic credentials.
He therefore called on the government and other stakeholders to step up efforts to ensure that peace and calm prevail before the election.
Mr Bombande reminded the country that on the day that the results were declared in the 2000 general election, violence erupted at Bawku and WANEP had to come in and mobilised relevant stakeholders to mediate which led to some form of agreement.
He said the network had expected that the Municipal Assembly, which received the recommendations would have acted on the work plan proposed when the violence erupted there again but they did not do that.
Currently, he said, the network ensures that peace messages are aired on URA Radio in Bolgatanga appealing to all sides in the conflict to lay down their arms for constructive dialogue.