Security and safety analyst, Dr. Adam Bonaa, has warned that the larger Ghanaian population risks being directly affected by the ongoing Bawku conflict if the situation within the Bawku area is not stopped.

Speaking to GhanaWeb TV's George Ayisi on the implications of the decades-old chieftaincy conflict on Ghana's security going into the 2024 general election, Dr. Bonaa revealed that there have been violent incidents related to the conflict recorded in various parts of the country far from the Bawku area.

"You know, this thing spread all the way to Ashaiman, Kasoa, Madina, and other places… the very Bawku conflict, because you have Kusaasis who are in Accra, you have Kusaasis who are in Kumasi, you have Kusaasis who are in Wa, who are in Kejetia, who are in Mamprobi, they are everywhere. You have Mamprusis who are also in these areas as well, and they live together.

"Nobody is too far away. If you heard about 'kill the cockroaches,' the Rwandan genocide, 'Kill the cockroaches.' Houthis and the Tutsis. So my point is that what is happening is that some persons are sleeping. So if you thought that you are in Accra, they will fight and bring it to Accra, and it will affect all of us. I said the thing nearly entered Accra; some people were injured in Ashaiman and other places," Dr. Bonaa said.

He further highlighted some implications of the conflict, including a potential ethnic cleansing.

"Ethnic cleansing, that is what we risk. You know the Bawku conflict: you have the Kusaasis on one side, Mamprusis on one side, and depending on which tribe you are, you are seen to be associated with either the Mamprusis or the Kusaasis. To the extent that even if you are our nomadic friends, even if you are a Fulani, you are perceived to belong to one side, so sometimes you are shot and killed," he said.

The recent upsurge in the Bawku conflict has seen another wave of violent activities affecting the area, resulting in the death of about 25 persons and several injuries.

In the interview with GhanaWeb TV, Dr. Bonaa cited leadership failure as a key factor in the raging conflict and urged the government to take steps towards resolving the conflict.

Watch George Ayisi's interview with Adam Bonaa on the recent unrest in Bawku below:





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