A youth activist who doubles as the Garu constituency youth organizer for the National Democratic Congress, Solomon Abanga has condemned the killing of seven civilians by the officers of the Ghana Armed Forces in Zoogin, a suburb of Bawku.
The people were said to be in their farm gardens when the military invaded the area and killed them including women and children. It was reported that a gun battle between civilians of the Kusasi and Mamprusi ethic groups a night before this incident is what led to this operation.
Mr Abanga said, there is no circumstance the military should gun down innocent unarmed civilians including women and children. He added that, the NPP government has not helped the situation and some individuals in the NPP government who are Mamprusis or aligned to them are manipulating the situation.
He challenged the government to come out clearly and enforce the supreme court ruling on the chieftaincy matter of that area and arrest anyone who challenges the legitimacy of the Zugraan, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II. He also added that first people who were arrested in connection with the performance of a funeral that sparked the conflict should be rearrested and brought to book.
Bawku have been under gun attacks between the two factions, Mamprusis and Kusasis, since November 2021 when a section decided to performed a late chief funeral and in order to enskin a new chief. This brought an objection from the other side leading to a court injunction on the funeral. The Mamprusis defied the court order and went ahead to perform the funeral. This sparked clashes between the two groups leading to the death of many people.
Mr Abanga is therefore calling on the government, civil society organizations and bodies that matter to rise up and face the reality so that those who are defying the rule of law would be apprehended and dealt with. He said the conflict has always escalated when the New Patriotic Party is in power. The worst part was 2001, 2007 and 2021.
Meanwhile Bawku saw total peace during the entire rule of former president flight lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings.
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