Bawku Conflict: Ghana Card used to identify and kill enemies

The renewed Bawku conflict has taken a new twist as rival factions use the Ghana Card to identify and kill their enemies. According to John Krugu, the NPP’s parliamentary candidate for Zebilla, the Ghana Card has become a tool of war in the area.

Fighting broke out on the night of October 26 following a period of relative peace. The latest round of fighting was sparked by the return of a rival chief Alhaji Seidu Abagre. He was installed in February 2023 at Nalerigu but a court warrant was issued for his arrest. However, the Kumasi High Court on October 17 quashed the arrest warrant, prompting him to make a return to the town.

Speaking about the conflict to Citi Breakfast Show on October 28, John Krugu said people have not slept in the last two days despite the heavy security deployment. He said the Bawku conflict is now a full-blown war just because an illegitimate chief wants to dispute the legitimacy of a chief who has ruled for 40 years.

“I am aware that people have not slept in the last two nights. It has been a full-fledged war ongoing and now you have a situation where two factional chiefs are living next to each other. Bawku is not a big town and each side is aiming at getting to the other person.

“You have an illegitimate chief who is sitting there and then you have the existing chief who is celebrating 40 years on the throne and then you have young men who are losing their lives,” John Krugu stated.

He added that the Ghana Card is being used to identify people to kill them. John Krugu also added that the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital is overwhelmed and the injured cannot be carried to Bolgatanga or Tamale due to road blocks.

“Last night, we got the message that there was no space to keep the injured at the Presbyterian Hospital, roads were blocked and you cannot carry the injured to Bolgatanga for treatment. The roads between Bolga and Tamale were blocked and people were being asked for their Ghana Cards to identify their tribal affiliation and to kill them,” John Krugu lamented.

According to John Krugu, “some people who do not belong to the two tribes were mistakenly killed and this is a sad situation that we are having.”

Meanwhile, the Bawku conflict is not only affecting the rival factions as some of the travelers who were caught in the crossfire recounted their harrowing ordeals. Survivors of the Gbimsi road block who narrated their ordeal to the media said the security responded very late.

“I was travelling from Sunyani to Paga. Upon reaching Walewale, people had mounted roadblocks and were searching for individuals to kill. The incident lasted for more than an hour, yet security did not respond,” one traveler lamented.