Bawku Conflict: Over 500 Soldiers To be Deployed to War-Torn Town As Insecurity Intensifies

• The security situation in Bawku is intensifying, compelling the state security and intelligence agency to decide to deploy soldiers to the town
• An immigration officer was killed on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, in the town by unidentified assailants, an incident that state officials point to as a sign of heightening insecurity
• The long-standing Bawku conflict has deep roots in chieftaincy disagreements over land and other scarce resources

As the conflict in the insecurity in Bawku intensifies, the military in collaboration with other state security agencies has resolved to deploy over 500 soldiers to the war-torn town in the Upper East Region.

Already, Ghana's National Security Coordinator, Edward Asomani; Chief of the Army Staff, Thomas Oppong-Peprah and other prominent members of the state security setup have visited the conflict hotspot.

On Wednesday, May 3, 2023, an immigration officer was killed in the town by unidentified assailants.

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Death of an immigration officer sign of heightened insecurity

The motive for the fatal attack on the immigration officers is not yet, however, state security and intelligence officers see the incident as a sign of heightening insecurity in the deprived town.

Bawku has been described as a war zone by some security analysts.

In February this year, security analyst, Adam Bona made the following remarks on Joy News.

"Bawku is a war zone, it doesn’t look like the way we are describing it. It is a complete war zone."

Cause of long-standing Bawku conflict

The conflict in the town has deep roots in chieftaincy disagreements over land and other scarce resources.

Scholarly articles on the conflict explain that at the heart of the fighting in the town is a historical conflict between the Kusasi and Mamprusi.

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A study by Felix Y. T. Longi explains that the conflict "is an agglomeration of issues about litigations over allodial rights and chieftaincy."

The study found that both the Kusasi and the Mamprusi claim allodial ownership of Bawku. The author points out that these claims are shrouded in their narrative histories of origin and derived from claims of natural origin.

Upper East Regional Minister fears Jihadists may have infiltrated Bawku

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported in a separate story that the Upper East region minister raised red flags over the activities of suspected jihadist movements in Bawku.

Stephen Yakubu said the Jihadist activities are believed to be accounting for the recurring conflict which has intensified in the last few months.

Bawku has for several decades witnessed a conflict which has claimed several lives and displaced hundreds of residents.

Source: YEN.com.gh