Ms. Afi Azaratu Yakubu, the executive secretary of Ghana's National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weaponry (NACSA), has raised concern over the weapons being used in the ongoing Bawku War.
According to Ms. Afi Azaratu Yakubu, the reason why the crisis in the Upper West is getting worse is that certain people are allegedly getting access to firearms through Ghana's open borders.
She suggested that the instability of the sub-region, where Burkina Faso is still experiencing a crisis and Cote d'Ivoire has recently emerged from one of its own, may be a factor in the difficulties in Bawku.
Because small arms and light weapons were so accessible, she claimed, battles like the one in Bawku "escalated because the majority of the firearms got into the wrong hands, our borders are not the finest, and some of them certainly get into the country."
She spoke with Kwadwo Baffour of Angel News during the "End Racism, Build Peace" program that was conducted at the Assemblies of God Church headquarters in Ringway Estate in Osu, Accra, to commemorate the International Day of Peace this year.
In the meantime, Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu Gyamfi, head of the National Peace Council (NPC), called for a comprehensive stakeholder conversation to resolve the Bawku issue.
The settlements within the Upper West Enclave are not developing as quickly as they could, he continued, because of the persistent war and instability at Bawku.
"The only way the nation can advance is via peaceful coexistence." One such example is the asphalting of the route from Bolga to Bawku up to the edge of Bawku. It has not penetrated the actual town. People could believe that the state abandoned Bawku when it was still developing, but this is actually because of the fighting.
Schools and hospitals are also currently closed. Nothing worthwhile is happening in the town. The neighborhood's reputation has suffered. Therefore, we implore everyone to help the community achieve peace once more.
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