The relative calm that has returned to Bawku following government’s decision to escalate peacekeeping operations to peace enforcement is welcome news for a community that, for far too long, has been held hostage by senseless violence.
The silence of the guns in recent weeks is not just the absence of gunfire; it is the faint sound of hope echoing across a town that has endured loss, fear, and despair.
Government’s intervention after the killing of three students in late July was decisive and timely. The deployment of the Ghana Armed Forces and the joint security task force has clearly made a difference.
For the first time in about eight months, market women are trading, children are attending school without fear of gunshots, and travellers can move in and out albeit under escort, along some of the troubled routes.
The Ghanaian Times is of the firm belief that these gains must be consolidated by the adoption of a multidimensional approach to conflict resolution.
We believe that security presence alone will not guarantee lasting peace, as has been pointed out by several residents and opinion leaders in the area.
The roads, particularly the Bolga-Bawku-Pulmakom stretch, must be fully secured through dialogue, given that the reliance on military escorts for ordinary travel is unsustainable.
Citizens must be assured that their right to movement will not depend on their ethnic affiliation or the number of armed personnel available.
Equally important is the need for reconciliation.
The Ghanaian Times cannot but agree with the call by former Presiding Member of the Bawku Municipal Assembly, Mr Abubakari Iddrisu, that government should intensify efforts to reintegrate the feuding factions.
Peace enforcement may silence weapons, but only dialogue and genuine reconciliation can mend broken relationships. The people of Bawku must come to see one another not as adversaries, but as partners in a shared destiny.
The suspension of normal police services in Bawku also raises concerns. Policing is not only about operations but also about building community trust, handling civilian disputes, and maintaining everyday order.
For enforcement efforts to bear fruit, the police must resume their regular duties alongside the military, so that residents can feel the return of state authority in its full civic form.
The Ghanaian Times urges government, traditional leaders, civil society, and all stakeholders to seize this window of relative calm to chart a path for lasting peace. It is not enough to celebrate the temporary silence of guns.
Peace must be nurtured, institutions rebuilt, and opportunities created for the youth who have often been lured into violence.
The people of Bawku deserve to live without fear, to trade in safety, and to educate their children in peace.
The current calm offers a chance to break the cycle of violence and reclaim Bawku’s place as a hub of commerce and culture in the north.
Let us not waste it!!!