Residents of Bawku in the Upper East Region have been urged by the minister of local government, decentralization, and rural development not to let conflict control the quality of life in the area.
The long-running chieftaincy issue, according to Mr. Dan Botwe, has caused loss of lives, property, and forced many people to abandon Bawku’s low socioeconomic standards in the areas of healthcare, education, agriculture, and socioeconomic activities.
“The guns must be silenced, and cool heads must prevail for the restoration of normal social life and peaceful coexistence.
“We cannot allow criminals and conflict profiteers among our ranks to destabilise the peace of the area and dictate the pace of life of the vulnerable. Criminals should be viewed and treated as such from both sides,” he said.
Speaking during the 35th annual Samanpiid celebration of the chiefs and citizens of the Kusaug Traditional Area, Mr. Botwe said that in order to accomplish the necessary development, it was the common obligation of all stakeholders to restore peace in Bawku.
Given the resurgence of the conflict, he said the topic for this year’s festival, “Building Peace: The Role of all Stakeholders,” was appropriate. He said that all residents and stakeholders had roles to play both individually and collectively in order to achieve sustainable peace in Bawku.
In order to promote respect for human rights and dignity, social fairness, and the rule of law, the minister emphasized the urgent necessity for stakeholders, particularly factions in the conflict, to use social interaction to support each other’s efforts to prevent and condemn disputes at all levels.
“I wish to passionately appeal through our revered king (Bawku Naba) to urge our brothers, Kusaasis, to return to the Bawku Interethnic Peace Committee to facilitate dialogue among you and our brothers on the other side on the way out of this crisis,” he added.
He reiterated the resolve of government to continue to engage all relevant stakeholders to achieve lasting peace and restore the lost glory of Bawku of economic prosperity.
Speaking on behalf of all six Kusaug Traditional Area MPs—Bawku, Zebilla, Tempane, Garu, Pusiga, and Binduri—Mr. Cletus Avoka, Member of Parliament for the Zebilla Constituency, claimed that the conflict had destroyed Bawku’s former reputation as the commercial and cultural hub of the Upper East Region and of Ghana.
Mr. Avoka remarked that despite efforts by the government and other parties involved to maintain peace in Bawku, the situation persisted and grew worse by the hour. He also said that the conflict’s many sides’ rigid positions did not contribute to finding a solution.
He said the conflict was retarding development of the area as projects implementation in the area had been stalled including those working on the main Bolgatanga-Bawku-Pulmakom road as contractors were afraid to work there.
“Many of the homes are empty, young men and women and business people are all vacating Bawku and that is a sorry sight. Education, business, and healthcare are declining, if not at a standstill and so we have the collective responsibility to make sure we have peace in Bawku,” he said.
Zugraan Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, Paramount Chief of Kusaug Traditional Area, through a speech read on his behalf, commended government for the efforts made so far to restore peace and underscored the need to expedite actions to achieve lasting peace for sustained development.