Aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has made a passionate appeal for a national shift in the approach to resolving the Bawku conflict, stressing that military interventions and curfews alone will not deliver lasting peace in the area.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Wednesday, July 30, he emphasised that the crisis has evolved beyond its original chieftaincy roots and now requires urgent social healing, reconciliation, and community engagement.
“Resolving the Bawku chieftaincy issue is not entirely the solution. People are hurt, bruised, and maimed in the community. We need a certain level of social engagement. Professionals must be brought in to assess the entire Bawku situation and advise on how we can move forward,” he said.
According to him, the current government strategy primarily deploys military forces to the area, is insufficient, as it only imposes temporary calm without addressing the deep-seated pain and trauma felt by residents.
“The people comply when they see the military, but they return to violence once the military loses its guard. And the military cannot be there forever. What is urgently needed is reconciliation and therapy, an intentional effort to help the people forgive and heal,” Aboagye added.
The call comes in the wake of renewed violence in Bawku, following the tragic killing of Hakim Kundima, a final-year student of Bawku Senior High School. The student was reportedly dragged from his dormitory by unknown gunmen and shot outside the school compound on the night of Saturday, July 26, leading to the closure of the School and imposition of Curfew on the community.
In a related development, residents along the Tamale–Bolgatanga highway on Monday, July 28, witnessed a heavy military convoy heading toward the Upper East Region.
Buses and armoured vehicles were seen transporting troops as part of a scheduled military exercise aimed at strengthening internal security and enhancing counter-insurgency readiness.
Citi News sources confirmed that the exercise will span several strategic locations, including Bawku, Sandema, Tilli, and Pusiga/Polmakom. It seeks to reinforce troop preparedness in response to mounting security threats in the region.