Unravelling failure in protracted Bawku crisis

Killing, Arson, violence.  These are the reports we hear whenever Bawku is in the news.

The immediate cause is always ascribed to inter-ethnic chieftaincy tensions. 

Assuming this is the whole truth, why is the conflict protracted and worsening over time? Is the problem intractable? 

What are the broader national security implications of the Bawku situation in the face of widespread terrorism and violent extremism in West Africa? Is the government’s approach adequate?

Beyond blaming, whenever violence escalates in Bawku, we should reflect (on the above questions) and evaluate the role and performance of the government on the matter.

The Bawku crisis is mitigable, however Ghana’s vulnerability to terrorism and violent extremism which are endemic in West Africa, is increasing.

Militarisation, arrests and prosecutions are not the answers, however, these are as a result of the narrow framing of the Bawku issue as one that hinges on criminality and law enforcement.

At best, such a coercive approach helps in de-escalating the violence, but does not address the root causes of the problem in a way that will secure lasting peace, mutual co-existence, and economic development in Bawku.

In any case, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses will not inform the ad-hoc, arbitrary, uncoordinated, and unscientific interventions on the Bawku crisis.

For a lasting solution to the Bawku crisis, the government should adopt evidence-based interventions, and make the best use of our limited national resources.

Additionally, our policymakers should be conscious of Ghana’s porous borders with terrorism hotspots, the abundance of illegally owned small arms and light weapons in Ghana, and the intrinsic link between unemployment, underdevelopment and violence. 

Dr Jamal Tonzua,
Law lecturer/former Assistant Director of Legal Services, Ghana Armed Forces.
Sahara Institute for Law & Policy,
Post Office Box AN 5966, Accra.
E-mail: jts159@georgetown.edu