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President John Dramani Mahama has stated that the recent surge in violence in Bawku represents a deliberate attempt to undermine ongoing peace negotiations.
Recent peace efforts to end the decades-old inter-tribal conflict appeared to have neared a full agreement until recent fatal attacks, including the killing of a Kusasi chief in the Ashanti Region and some students of the Nalerigu Senior High School.
Speaking during the courtesy visit of the Gonja King, Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale I, at the Jubilee House last Tuesday, the President revealed that the attacks, including the tragic shooting of students and forced evacuation of teachers, coincided with significant progress in mediation efforts led by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The President said the timing of those attacks was not coincidental, as they happened when Otumfuo's mediation efforts were achieving breakthroughs.
“We have given the mediation to Otumfuo, and he has constantly briefed me on the mediation efforts that we are almost there. So, the current fighting and killing can only be done by people who want to derail the mediation efforts,” he said.
The President announced that he had directed the Ghana Armed Forces to transition from peacekeeping to active peace enforcement operations in Bawku.
“We cannot accept the current situation in Bawku, where students are shot in school and killed. We cannot accept the situation where teachers and workers have run away for their lives,” he said.
The Overlord of the Gonja Kingdom appealed to President Mahama to put in place measures to curb reckless and illegal mining to protect the country’s natural heritage.
He said to be successful, President Mahama must engage and deepen partnerships with local communities to ensure that they contribute to the solutions to curb the rise of the scourge commonly called galamsey in local circles, including in the Savannah Region, where he said illegal miners had started their devastating activities.
“We encourage you to take bold and decisive decisions (on galamsey),” he said.
Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale said that in achieving the social contract with the people of Ghana, President Mahama must consider that development thrived where peace prevailed.
“As you travel the length and breadth of our nation to fulfil your social contract with Ghanaians, peace is a cherished commodity for all Ghanaians, and development thrives where peace reigns,” he said.
The government escalated its security strategy in Bawku from peacekeeping to peace enforcement last weekend following renewed clashes that threatened the fragile peace process in the Upper East Region.
In that regard, the Ghana Armed Forces intensified operations in the area, enforcing stricter curfew hours to restore order in the town.
A statement issued by the Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, warned that security forces would "take all necessary measures" to protect lives and property in the area.
The government’s statement acknowledged the near-successful mediation by the Asantehene, supported by the Nayiri (Mamprugu Overlord) and Zugraana (Kusasi Chief), which had nearly resolved the decades-old conflict before the latest violent incidents erupted.
The Bawku chieftaincy crisis, primarily between the Kusasi and Mamprusi ethnic groups, dates back to colonial-era disputes over traditional authority.
Despite intermittent peace, the area has suffered recurrent bloodshed, displacing thousands and disrupting socio-economic activities.
Hopeful progress has been seen in recent months, but fresh killings last week forced the government’s tough response.
The Nayiri of Mamprugu, Naa Bohagu Mahami Abdulai Sheriga, had recently offered to make some concessions in the Bawku conflict mediation efforts to bring lasting peace to the area.
President Mahama consequently commended the Overlord of the Mamprugu Traditional Area for his "dignified and statesmanlike" role in mediating the protracted conflict.
Speaking during a courtesy call by a delegation from the Nayiri at the Jubilee House, President Mahama revealed that the Nayiri had shown willingness to make concessions to resolve the conflict following collaborative discussions with the Asantehene.
"I was with His Royal Majesty, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, two days ago, and he briefed me on the cooperation you have given him in finding a final traditional solution to the conflict," President Mahama said.
