Ranking Member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has raised alarm over the worsening security situation in Bawku, describing it as a full-blown humanitarian and national security emergency that requires urgent intervention.
The MP has expressed deep concern over the escalation of violence in the conflict-prone area, citing the increasing use of high-powered weapons and the growing tension between civilians and security forces.
“The death toll is rising. People are living in fear. Children can’t go to school. Essential services are grinding to a halt—teachers, doctors, and nurses are refusing postings to Bawku. It’s a full-blown humanitarian crisis,” Rev. Fordjour stated.
He extended condolences to bereaved families and sympathies to the injured and displaced, while calling for calm among all parties. “Bawku deserves peace, and for that to happen, all feuding factions must exercise absolute restraint,” he said.
Though the Bawku conflict has deep ethnic roots, the MP noted that the situation has evolved dangerously. He warned of a troubling new dimension — direct confrontations between civilians and security personnel.
“There’s a new and very worrying dimension. Some attacks are no longer just between the feuding factions. We’re beginning to see a standoff between civilians and the security forces. That is dangerous,” he cautioned. “If the conflict morphs into clashes between the security services and the very citizens they are deployed to protect, then we are heading into very dark territory.”
Rev. Fordjour described the weapons being used in the conflict as highly sophisticated and military-grade, far beyond what is typically encountered in domestic unrest.
“This is no longer about machetes or homemade rifles. We’re talking about high-grade military-style arms being used in a domestic conflict,” he said. “It is part of the reason why there is even that confidence to engage the police or the military in direct confrontation.”
He urged the government to launch a coordinated crackdown on the flow of illegal arms into the conflict zone. “Wherever those weapons are coming from, the government must take urgent steps to stem the flow,” he emphasized.
Rev. Fordjour also condemned attempts to politicize the conflict, describing statements that link peace in Bawku to the political party in power as dangerous and divisive.
“We’ve heard the dangerous rhetoric, comments like ‘when a certain party is in power, Bawku is peaceful; when another is in power, the conflict escalates.’ This kind of narrative only serves to inflame tensions. We need to rise above it.”
The MP threw his support behind the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II-led mediation process, calling it a crucial step in addressing the traditional and historical roots of the conflict. However, he warned that no peace initiative can succeed without a sustained effort to disarm factions and prevent the proliferation of weapons.
“We are supporting the government in this. This is a nationalistic effort. But the government must step up more. We cannot pretend that this is business as usual,” he said. “The kind of arms being used in Bawku right now are not the kind you find in regular criminal activity. This is organised, this is dangerous, and it must be dealt with now.”