Ghana's border towns face troubles ahead of key December election
Northern Ghana deals with rising border-town problems as presidential election comes closer. Security experts point to mix of ethnic fights‚ refugee flows and armed groups near Burkina Faso border
As Ghana prepares for its Dec-7 election‚ the northern border-region shows signs of growing unrest. Nana Akufo-Addo will step down after two terms‚ leaving Mahamudu Bawumia and John Mahama as main contestants among twelve hopefuls
The border town Bawku (which sits close to both Burkina Faso and Togo) faces ongoing trouble between Kusasi and Mamprusi groups fighting for local power; authorities had to put new night-time rules in place after recent attacks killed about 25 people
Ghanaʼs shared border with Burkina Faso stretches 372-miles - creating a tough spot for security. More than 15k people ran from Burkinaʼs problems since 22ʼ‚ but Ghana often sends Fulani people back (who get blamed for helping bad groups). The US gave $100-million in aid to Ghana and other nearby countries‚ while the EU sent military help
The real issues are deeper than just outside threats: northern areas deal with no-jobs‚ hunger and climate-change problems. Armed gangs got stronger‚ and weapons move easily across borders. Local people say cops only show up on market-days to cause trouble‚ while illegal trade keeps going
- Poor living conditions
- Not enough border control
- Easy access to weapons
- Climate-change effects on farming
Criminal groups focus more on making money from gold wood and guns than following any specific beliefs. “Unless the militarized approach is replaced with one with an emphasis on mitigating the social exclusion that has rendered communities vulnerable to violent extremist recruitment‚ the security situation will continue to deteriorate“ [[R. Maxwell Bone wrote in Foreign Policy]]
The next leader will need to fix these problems without just using force - Ghanas usual peaceful voting might face new tests this time
