adverts
Bawku Crisis: Military Deployment Must Align with National and International Law – Festus Aboagye
Retired security analyst Colonel Festus Aboagye has cautioned the Ghanaian government to ensure that the military deployment to Bawku and other volatile areas in the north strictly complies with national and international legal standards, even as violence escalates and student killings continue.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Monday, July 28, Col. Aboagye described the government’s response to the recent security deterioration as “reactionary” and lacking strategic foresight.
“I think we can say that the government is reactionary,” he said, in reference to the growing insecurity, particularly in the Upper East and Northeastregions.
adverts
The past week has seen the tragic deaths of three students—two from Nalerigu Senior High School and one from Bawku Senior High School—in what security sources suspect are targeted killings linked to the long-running chieftaincy conflict in Bawku. The attacks have sparked national outrage and prompted a renewed military presence and strict curfews in the affected regions.
Col. Aboagye, while supporting government intervention to restore order, warned that the armed forces must not exceed the boundaries of lawful conduct.
“A military convoy coming under attack, the military responding and escalating to the extent where it exceeds its lawful use of force—that is where the problem begins,” he noted.
He stressed that while changing tactical conditions might necessitate a shift in approach, it must be grounded in legal authority. “So the state now needs to find room for the armed forces to deploy—one, within the laws of the country, and two, subject to international law,” he said.
The retired colonel also pushed back against loosely using the term “peacekeeping” to describe the military’s role in the Bawku crisis. “There has never been any peacekeeping involved. We must not use terminologies that do not apply,” he insisted. “Peacekeeping” is a term reserved for international operations, not for internal ethnic conflicts within a sovereign democracy like Ghana, he explained.
Col. Aboagye further argued that what is unfolding in Bawku is an internal security crisis and not a military war zone. As such, he said the military’s mandate should be focused on “restoring and maintaining peace and stability,” not implementing conventional warfare tactics.
He concluded by warning that adopting “peace enforcement” doctrines rooted in traditional military contexts could lead to excessive force, further inflaming tensions rather than calming them.
The government’s strategy in Bawku, he suggested, must shift from force-led operations to a balanced, legally guided, and community-informed security framework.
Click the link Puretvonline.com | WhatsApp Channel to join the WhatsApp channel
GOT A STORY?
Contact/WhatsApp: +233243201960 or Email: manuelnkansah33@gmail.com
