Why Military Alone Can’t Solve Bawku Conflict – Miracles Aboagye

Dennis Miracles Aboagye has called for a decisive change in how Ghana addresses the long-running Bawku conflict, warning that military presence and curfews are not sustainable solutions.

The aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia emphasised the need for national reconciliation, professional intervention, and collective healing for the people of Bawku in an interview on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Wednesday, July 30.

“Resolving the Bawku chieftaincy issue is not entirely the solution. People are hurt, bruised, and maimed in the community.

“We need a certain level of social engagement. Professionals must be brought in to assess the entire Bawku situation and advise on how we can move forward,” he stated.

He explained that while the military may keep temporary order, their departure often sees a return to violence, signalling a deeper emotional and psychological crisis in the area.

“The people comply when they see the military, but they return to violence once the military loses its guard. And the military cannot be there forever.

“What is urgently needed is reconciliation and therapy, an intentional effort to help the people forgive and heal,” Aboagye urged.

The Bawku conflict, rooted in a long-standing chieftaincy dispute primarily between the Mamprusi and Kusasi ethnic groups, has claimed many lives over the years and continues to pose a threat to stability in the Upper East Region.

Despite several interventions—including military deployments and the imposition of curfews—tensions persist, fuelled by inter-ethnic mistrust, political interpretations, and deep historical grievances.

In a related development, the Director of Legal Affairs for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Godwin Edudzi Tamekloe, has pushed back strongly against suggestions that President John Dramani Mahama has a personal interest in the conflict.

“Nobody will be permitted under President John Dramani Mahama to attempt creating a state of insecurity. No, it’s a narrative that some people want to build, but it won’t work,” Tamekloe told Joy News.

He made it clear that the current president is focused on unity, not division.

“President John Dramani Mahama does not have any personal interest in that conflict. None whatsoever,” he stressed.

Tamekloe further shed light on the familial bonds within Bawku, challenging the notion of a binary ethnic rivalry.

“Look, Kusasis, Mamprusis, I know; and I have personal friends who share both parentage. We are three; I, Dr. Ayine, and Mahama Ayariga. Mahama Ayariga’s mother is Mamprusi, and the father is a Kusasi, you understand? So they are all one people,” he explained.

Source: Liberalprint.com