The Ghana Armed Forces has vowed to deploy maximum force against attacks targeting civilians or security personnel in the conflict-prone Bawku area, following heightened tensions in the northern region.
Chief of Army Staff Major General Lawrence Kwaku Gbetanu issued the warning during a security assessment visit to Bawku, where recurring clashes between ethnic groups have displaced thousands and claimed numerous lives since 2020.
“Any attack on innocent civilians or military personnel will be met with the deliberate full strength of our forces,” Gbetanu stated at a press briefing on Thursday. He described such violence as “extremism” and affirmed the military’s commitment to protecting lives and property while restoring order. The army chief cautioned that instigators’ “days are numbered,” signaling an escalation in counteroperations.
Gbetanu emphasized collaboration with local leaders to address the root causes of the conflict, which centers on a longstanding chieftaincy dispute between the Kusasi and Mamprusi ethnic groups. Bawku Naba Asigri Abugrago Asoka II, the area’s traditional ruler, pledged his council’s cooperation with security forces but urged troops to maintain professionalism during operations.
The military delegation included senior officers overseeing northern operations, such as Brigadier General Frank Nartey Tei and Bawku Taskforce Commander Colonel Rosslyn Foli Atiogbe. Their presence underscores the strategic importance of Bawku, a commercial hub near Ghana’s borders with Burkina Faso and Togo, where smuggling networks and spillover from Sahelian conflicts compound local tensions.
Bawku’s instability reflects broader security challenges in West Africa’s northern frontiers, where ethnic disputes increasingly intersect with transnational crime and extremism. While Ghana has avoided the jihadist violence affecting neighbors, analysts note that prolonged local conflicts risk creating vulnerabilities. The military’s renewed stance aims to deter further escalation but also raises questions about balancing force with community-led reconciliation efforts.
Security forces have maintained a permanent presence in Bawku since 2021, conducting raids on weapon caches and enforcing dusk-to-dawn curfews. However, intermittent shootings and arson attacks persist, with over 50 fatalities reported in the past 18 months. The latest military warning follows a June incident where gunmen ambushed a patrol team, injuring three soldiers.
As the government prepares to deploy additional troops, civil society groups urge parallel investments in dialogue platforms and economic initiatives to address grievances driving the cycle of violence. The effectiveness of this dual approach military deterrence coupled with grassroots peacebuilding may determine whether Bawku’s smoldering tensions erupt into wider instability or gradually subside.
