The Upper East Regional Security Council(REGSEC) has convened a meeting with leaders of the feuding factions in Bawku to address the recent surge in violence that has claimed in the loss of 13 lives.
According to the Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, the politicisation of the conflict is making mediation difficult.
Speaking to JoyNews, he said the situation in Bawku was gradually returning to a state of normalcy until the recent surge in violence that exacerbated the situation.
“So we are really doing our best but it’s a problem that is there, and it’s a conflict that has been a thorny issue for us.
“What we are appealing (against) is that killing of each other will not bring closure to this problem. We should draw back and fight peacefully to see how we can resolve this problem but killing, it will actually not resolve or solve this problem,” he said.
Mr. Yakubu emphasised the imperative of engaging in peace talks to address the Bawku conflict, stressing that “this problem would have been resolved long ago if resolvable through violence.”
He, therefore, emphasised his outfit’s commitment in ensuring that peace prevails in Bawku.
”That is what we are engaged in with all the elders on both sides, the youth, the women groups, the politicians and also the media and telling people not to create any more problems because I think that we need peace,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga is making another move to address killings allegedly committed by the military in Bawku.
Mr Ayariga intends to formally petition the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and Parliament for a thorough investigation into the alleged killings.
According to him, he strongly suspects that the killings in Bawku were caused by the Military deployed to the area.
“When Parliament reconvenes, I will call on the Speaker to carry out an inquiry into the operations of the security agencies in Bawku. So that is something that I will definitely do. The last time they did a similar thing like that and killed seven people, I went to CHRAJ and the matter is still before CHRAJ.
“Last month, CHRAJ wrote back to me saying that the soldiers denied totally that they had killed some people at the community.
“I went back to Bawku and then I obtained some reports which I’m going to now forward to CHRAJ because even when they finished the act, they issued a statement saying that they neutralized those people,” he said.
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