Bawku residents live in fear as 6 die in fresh shooting
Residents in Bawku are living in fear after unknown assailants ruthlessly killed two men and four women in a bus attack on Monday, January 22, pushing the death toll to 13 within the last few weeks.
The recent surge in violence has heightened the concerns of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), who have noted that the assailants are using sophisticated weapons, such as a Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG).
This escalation in violence has left residents in the area on the edge, even at their places of work.
The General Manager of the Presbyterian Hospital in Bawku, Dr Dennis Daliri, explained that the hospital must remain open to serve the community, even as many other organizations have left the area.
According to him, the violence has led to a decline in the number of patients who come to the hospital for treatment.
“We are obviously not operating at our peak because recent numbers are low. Some staff are also uncomfortable with the situation, and some have even left town just like every other office, but we still have some who are still on the ground and providing services.”
According to the residents, they live in fear and uncertainty, as the violence has left them unsure of when the next attack will occur.
“In fact, this recent Bawku conflict is more than a canker. I am a teacher myself,lf and sometimes it is difficult to tell whether you have the psychological ability to do what is expected of you as a classroom teacher because even going to work is something different,” a teacher said.
“One thing that I see as a serious challenge to workers is the means of transport to the workplace. How many people can afford to buy their own private cars? You wake up with your money to get a pragya to go to work, you wouldn’t get it easily,” another resident said.
Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Bawku, Mahama Ayariga, has called on the Ghana Police Service to investigate the attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice.
In addition to calling for a police investigation, Mr Ayariga has announced his intention to petition the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and Parliament for a formal probe into the attacks.
“The last time they did something like that and killed seven people, I went to CHRAJ. The matter is still before CHRAJ. Last time, CHRAJ wrote back to me saying the soldiers denied totally that they have killed some people in the community.”
“Those are issues I will follow up with. I would speak to the speaker, I would raise it on the floor, and I would demand parliamentary into exactly what happened,” he said.