Let’s contain myopic interests in Bawku conflict

 It is good news that a Yutong bus carrying 1,800 ammunitions has been intercepted at the Customs barrier at Binguri in the Binduri District of the Upper East Re­gion, by the Bawku Divisional Police Command.

However, it is bad news that some people continuously attempt to send weapons and their ammunitions to the Bawku enclave, which is an infamous conflict area.

What this means is that there are people resident in the en­clave or hail from there who are not ready to help find amicable resolution of the conflict.

What is their interests, if The Ghanaian Times may ask?

It is obvious there are people with the sinister intentions of seeing others eliminated in the hope that they can create fear and panic to make their oppos­ing feuding faction call it quits for them to take over as the heroes or conquerors.

If this strategy would work, the conflict, which is decades old would have been resolved.

It is on record that at the heart of the Kusasi-Mamprusi conflict is a combination of issues about litigations over allodial rights and chieftaincy.

In other words both the Kusasi and the Mamprusi claim allodial ownership of Bawku.

These are issues that can be resolved but for the myopic in­terests of certain personalities, the conflict rages on.

The issue of the weapons and ammunitions sent to the Bawku area may also mean that some people are taking commercial advantage to make some money.

Whatever the interests, these should not take precedence over the larger interest, which is for the benefit of residents of the area and the country in general.

At this point, since it is clear that some people have sinister interests in the Bawku conflict, it is time the state as an entity and the general public, partic­ularly those hailing from and or resident in the area to take actions that can help contain clashes and shooting incidents that scare innocent people.

As suggested by the Presi­dent of the Mamprugu Youth Association (MAYA), Mr Awu­du Bagura, the government and security agencies should intensify intelligence gathering and monitor transport routes in the country to prevent the conveyance of weapons and ammunitions to the Bawku enclave.

For the general public, vigi­lance is important and any sus­picious movement should be reported to the police in a form of tip-offs to help the police arrest those carrying weapons to the Bawku area to stoke the conflict there.

It is good to hear that the present ammunition arrest is as a result of a tip-off, a good sign of public-police collaboration needed by the police to make their work easy.

The police should do swift and intensive investigations of such cases to provide the need­ed evidence to the courts to prosecute them without delay.

Not only should conveyance of weapons and ammunitions be condemned but also clashes that occasionally erupt in the area.

In addition, civil society organisations and local or community groups like the Concerned Bawku Women with Rasheeda Zanya as their Spokesperson should continue their advocate for peace.

It is everyone’s prayer that Bawku would one day see peace.

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