By Sarah Baafi
Senior Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has declared that the ongoing crisis in Bawku has escalated beyond the scope of mediation and policing, and is calling for military intervention to restore peace.
Speaking on Joy News, Kofi Bentil emphasised that the situation has reached a “war-like” state, requiring decisive action from the Ghana Army.
Bentil argued that negotiation becomes ineffective when parties believe they can achieve their goals through force.
“If you believe you have what it takes to make your adversary do what you want, you will never negotiate,” he said. He stressed that negotiation only occurs when the negotiated outcome seems better or cheaper than alternatives.
He criticised the repeated failures of mediation and policing in Bawku, stating, “We keep doing the same things. It’s been failing.”
He highlighted the inadequacy of police efforts, noting that even the Inspector General of Police’s vehicle was reportedly shot at during the crisis.
Kofi Bentil urged authorities to simplify the complex situation by deploying military forces to take control of the territory and impose peace. “What the military are trained to do is to take territory, hold it, and impose peace,” he stressed. He warned that if armed groups are prepared to fight the military, there may be little that can be done beyond such intervention.
Kofi Bentil called for a reevaluation of Ghana’s approach to handling such crises and urged immediate military action to prevent further escalation.
