President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says measures were being taken to restore peace in Bawku.
Delivering the 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA), he mentioned the shutting down of four radio stations in the town for their broadcast of inflammatory and hate language, the setting up of a special task force and the engagement of warring factions as part of measures to ensure sustainable peace.
The actions, he said, were aimed at restoring peace and calm to the area not attract the attention of extremist groups, which operated a few kilometers away from the strategically positioned town and to facilitate development.
“… In its current state, Bawku is an alluring magnet to mischief makers and extremists operating a few kilometres across from the border… Government has, in the past year, undertaken a number of measures, including the establishment of a special Bawku Taskforce, and the intensification of engagements with the factions for the resolution of the chieftaincy dispute. On the recommendation of the Upper East Regional and National Security Councils, four radio stations, that have been broadcasting incendiary language and propagating hate speech, have been shut down by the National Communications Authority”, he said.
In early 2023, the Government sent troops to Bawku, a town in the Upper East region of the country, to quell some ethnic violence that arose over a chieftaincy issue violently contested between the Mamprusi and Kusasi ethnic groups.
The conflict, which goes back decades has caused a series of violence and bloodshed between members of the feuding ethnic groups and has claimed several hundreds of lives and properties.
This led to several state interventions such as the imposition of curfews, arrest of persons supplying weapons to fuel violence and other security interventions to stabilise the area.
“The Chief Justice has also recently established specialised Courts in Accra and in Kumasi to deal expeditiously with criminal matters emanating from the Bawku conflict,” the President added.
He reiterated Government’s commitment and determination to ensure the country’s total security and said the citizenry had a role to play in creating a conducive atmosphere for peace and stability to thrive.
“Government is determined to do all it can to ensure there is security in every inch of the territory of our country, but it is also very much up to the citizens to help create the needed atmosphere, and I am, thus, appealing to all citizens to take the See Something, Say Something campaign of the Ministry of National Security very seriously,” he said.
GNA