Recent developments emanating from an ongoing chieftaincy dispute between Mamprusis and Kusasis continue to threaten the peace and security of the entire Bawku Traditional Area.
In a bid to avert an escalation of the dispute and safeguard the peace of the area, The Minister for National Security, Mr. Albert Kan-Dapaah, yesterday, December 20, 2021, held a meeting with representatives of Mamprusis and Kusasis in the Bawku Traditional Area, at the office of the Northern Regional Coordinating Council in Tamale.
Report indicates that the representatives of Mamprusis and Kusasis present at the meeting, in committing to the protection of the peace and stability of Bawku, agreed to some resolutions; demanding that, the youth and people of the two factions would desist from acts, including the passing of incendiary comments via traditional and social media and the release of press statements, aimed at inflaming passions.
They also agreed that both parties should l fully support actions of State Security Agencies aimed at restoring peace, law, and order in the event of an escalation arising from a failure of the youth to abide by the aforesaid resolution.
‘We, by this communique, entreat our people to remain calm while we explore non-violent means, per the laws of Ghana, to amicably resolve the impasse a statement signed by the two factions indicated.
It will be recalled that On Wednesday 24 November 2021 the Ministry of the Interior imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on the Bawku Municipality and its environs in the Upper East Region following renewed chieftaincy disputes in the area.
The curfew took effect from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Besides the curfew were two bans, one on carrying of arms, ammunition or any offensive weapons and the other on wearing of smock in the affected communities. It is on record that the disputes in the Bawku area between the Kusasis and Mamprusis are not new and relate to chieftaincy and land ownership.