10 die, 16 injured in Bawku conflict

Page 43, Jan 31, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Interior Minister, Mr Kwamena Bartels, told Parliament on Tuesday that an assessment carried out after the recent ethnic conflict in Bawku confirmed 10 deaths and 16 injuries.
Mr Bartels said 127 houses and stores were either completely or partially burnt, while five cars were set ablaze.
He called for the involvement of all in the quest for a lasting solution to the intermittent conflicts in the Bawku area of the Upper East Region.
“The situation in Bawku and its environs should be a matter of concern to all. Therefore, it is crucial that every form of suspicion is set aside for the unity of Bawku and our dear country,” he said.
Mr Bartels made the call in a statement to the House on the Bawku conflict, during which he announced the re-imposition of the curfew in the area.
“This is not the time for the politicisation of these very delicate issues. It is time to unite to deal with the situation,” he said.
The minister stated that as a result of the security measures put in place, including the curfew and the commitment to peace demonstrated by the Mamprusis and the Kusasis, relative normalcy had returned to the area.
Contributing to the statement, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Garu-Tempane, Mr Dominic Azumah, said it was unfortunate the curfew had not been imposed on December 31, 2007 when there was enough evidence that the conflict would escalate the following day.
He supported calls that a military base should be established in the Bawku area to ensure that such situations were dealt with before they got out of hand.
Mr Azumah also called on the government to take the lead in efforts to unite the two dominant ethnic groups in the area, explaining that “since the people think that nothing is being done, they are prepared to use their little income to purchase arms to protect themselves”.
The MP for Zebilla, Mr John Ndebugre, said as far as he was concerned, no war had been declared by the leaders of the two dominant groups in the area and, therefore, called on the government to look for those who “started this criminal act which escalated into war and bring them to book”.
He added that although the situation seemed to have been normalised, “I have got reports that the people who cross to their opponents’ territories are being killed”.
Mr Ndebugre called for a look to be taken at the 2001 Damango Peace Declaration for the solution to the conflict in the Bawku area, saying, “Constitutional and legal methods should be adopted rather than violence.”
“In this modern time nobody can become a chief or acquire land by firing guns,” he said, and expressed his condolences to the families of people who lost their lives in the conflict.
For his part, the MP for Bawku Central, Mr Mahama Ayariga, said, “It is with deep regret that I contribute to this statement. The situation in Bawku is a very sad one indeed.”
He said unlike the past when the conflicts in the area lasted for just one day, the latest one had developed into a situation where people could not cross into “enemy territories”.
Mr Ayariga indicated that the situation in the area was very tense and called for a reinforcement of security measures to prevent a recurrence of the conflict any moment from now.
He was of the opinion that it was practically impossible to take chieftaincy away from the Kusasi people, saying, “It is practically impossible to rule over people who refuse to be ruled by you.”
Mr Ayariga, therefore, called for the acceptance of the Supreme Court ruling on the chieftaincy matter in the area to enable the two people to live in harmony.
The MP appealed for assistance for the families of the people who had lost their lives and those who lost their property in the conflict.