As relative calm returns to the area, the government’s decision to escalate peacekeeping operations in Bawku and the surrounding area to peace enforcement appears to be having some success.
There are glimpses of economic activity resuming in addition to the calm, with market women conducting their business in the face of significant security deployment.
As joint security personnel conduct routine searches of travelers entering from Bolgatanga and those departing the township for Cinkassey in neighboring Togo via the Missiga-Pulmakom road, independent checks revealed that the firearms had “gone silent” and that peace is progressively speaking louder.
There haven’t been any gunshot noises in the town for the last two weeks, according to a local who asked to remain anonymous.
“School children can now heave a sigh of relief since in the past two weeks we have not heard gunshots, talk less of the claim of the life of an innocent soul. Thanks to the government and the security apparatus,” he said.
“The reinforcement is good for the safety of the innocent people in Bawku who could have been shot, wounded, and even killed by the bad guys,” stated Mr. Abubakari Iddrisu, the former Presiding Member for the Bawku Municipality.
“My major worry, though, is that despite the increased security, people are still being escorted into and out of the town. People still need to be heavily escorted by security when they travel to Cinkassey. It is important to teach the locals that they have no right to assault others. Therefore, regardless of their tribal ties, travelers should have daytime access to the route.”
Mr. Iddrisu described how, on Saturday, August 16, a young guy driving a pickup truck on the Bolga-Bawku-Pulmakom road was attacked, stoned, and had his windshields irreparably damaged as he was entering the town.
In order to soften their positions and seek enduring peace, he urged the administration to put in more effort to reunite the two warring factions.
“When we see each other as one, trading in one market, teaching in the same schools, and our children having access to schools both at the outskirts and in the town, then the government’s peace enforcement efforts will not be in vain,” he counseled.
Mr. Majeed Bagura, another local, stated that although the police and military were doing admirably, their task would not be finished until the Bolga-Bawku-Pulmakom road was completely protected. This would guarantee that commuters could travel freely without worrying about being harassed while traveling.
“We really want to see the impact of the peace enforcement efforts by the government, and we cannot only rely on ‘operational services’ by the police,” he said, lamenting the closure of normal police services at the Bawku Divisional Command.
A journalist based in Bawku attested to the fact that peace and order had returned to the war-torn area, with all sides fervently adhering to security protocols.
Despite the tenuous peace, applicants taking this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the municipality were exhorted to maintain their focus by Mr. Isaac Azasco Agbeko, the Bawku Municipal Education Director.
“It is time to accept the reality, the facts on the ground, and improvise,” he stressed.
“I can tell you that I have supervised the escorting of vehicles outside Bawku, and most of them carried children of school age. It’s pathetic,” a Police Officer in Bawku said.
When the government announced a change from peacekeeping to peace enforcement due to the increase in killings, the Ghana Armed Forces soldiers were sent on July 27, 2025.
The ruling came after three students were killed in two separate incidents on July 26: Gideon and Lukman of Nalerigu SHS; and Mohammed Imoro Hakim, an 18-year-old BAWSCO final-year student.
Now that the guns are quiet and the guarded routine has returned, locals warily hope that the shaky calm will develop into long-lasting stability.
Source: newsthemegh.com