MINISTERS FOR DEFENCE, INTERIOR ASSESS BAWKU SITUATION (Back Page)

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bawku

 A FACT-FINDING government delegation led by the ministers for the Interior and Defence, Messrs Kwamena Bartels, and Albert Kan-Dapaah, yesterday visited Bawku to assess the security situation in the Bawku Municipality, following the recent ethnic conflict between the Kusasis and the Mamprusis in the area.
The team, which also included the Chief of Army Staff, Major-General S.A, Odotei, arrived in Bawku on-board a military helicopter and was met on arrival by the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Alhassan Samari, and his deputy, Mrs Agnes Chigabatia and members of the Upper East Regional Security Council.
The regional minister, the Commanding Officer of the Tamale Airborne Force (ABF), Lt. Col. Irvine Aryeetey, and the Regional Police Commander, DCOP Ofosu-Mensah Gyeabour, took turns to brief the delegation on the genesis and present situation on the ground.
Lt. Col. Aryeetey, in his brief, said on December 31, 2007, REGSEC held a meeting at Bolgatanga, and among other things which were discussed was security for the Samanpiid Festival, which was to be celebrated by the Kusasis on December 31, 2007.
He said as part of the decision taken, the Bawku Municipality Security Council was to meet the two factions to ensure that the festival was celebrated without any violent incident.
He noted that the festival took place on the said date and it was very peaceful, despite reports of an alleged armed robbery incident and burning of a house at Possun, a suburb of Bawku.
However, he indicated that on the night of the Samanpiid Festival, firing of arms intensified and this necessitated the REGSEC meeting.
The meeting recommended that reinforcement of security personnel should be sent to Bawku to curb the violence.
“The task given to the security agencies by the REGSEC was to make sure the two factions were separated and to prevent the fighting that was taking place from escalating,” he explained.
The ABF commander said all these were done during the day and in the evening and a curfew was imposed in Bawku, Garu and Zaabugu.
He stressed that presently an uneasy calm was returning to the area and five officers and 110 military personnel were on the ground to monitor the situation.
He called for the sensitisation and education of the populace on the need to maintain peace in the area.
He observed that although the situation was under control, there had been cases of isolated attacks on individuals who strayed into opposing territories, saying there was also the mounting of road blocks by individuals.
Lt. Col. Aryeetey called on the appropriate authorities to completely tackle the underlining problem of the Bawku conflict.
“The appropriate authorities should follow up immediately to solve the problem in order that the current peace does not relapse. I also appeal to government to revisit the Barzua Military Camp Project,” he noted.
The Regional Police Commander said the violence left in its wake a lot of destruction to life and property, estimated in several millions of cedis.
Giving a breakdown of the destruction, he said 75 houses were burnt completely, while 23 were partially burnt.
Twenty-nine stores, including three corn mills at Garu and five vehicles, have also been burnt, while 17 persons are confirmed injured and receiving treatment.
He said so far, eight people had died but conceded that the death toll may be higher as some deaths may not have been recorded at the hospital.
DCOP Gyeabour said 22 persons had been remanded in prison custody so far by the Navrongo District Court.
He pointed out that among the exhibits retrieved from the suspects were one AK47 rifle, one SMG rifle, four pistol ammunitions, four AK47 ammunitions and an SMG magazine, with 24 rounds of ammunition.
He observed that a total of 15 officers and 315 men drawn from the Northern, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Upper West, Upper East regions and headquarters, Accra, were assisting other security agencies to maintain the calm in the area.
The Upper East Regional Minister appealed for more financial support from the government to support the peacekeeping efforts in the area.
The team later paid courtesy calls on the Bawku Naba, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II and elders of the Mamprusis.