The Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, has entreated the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) personnel to deal ruthlessly with perpetrators of the Bawku conflict in the Upper West Region.
The minister believes such persons are criminals and must be treated as such.
He says the ongoing conflict is no longer tied to chieftaincy issues.
He thus said the government would send 500 more military personnel to Bawku next week to maintain peace. However, he disclosed that there are currently 400 soldiers in the community to assist with the conflict.
“What is happening today is not about chieftaincy. It is criminality. Those operating are criminals. I have asked members of the armed forces to deal with such persons as pure criminals.
“The government has done what it could on its part to ensure that Bawku is peaceful. We have moved Bawku from 50 to 400 soldiers, so we are sending another 500 military task force to Bawku alone next week,” he said on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, February 8.
The Defence Minister has already disclosed an attempt to blow up a bridge at Bawku by the persons behind the conflict.
According to him, this is the first time this is happening in the history of decade-long conflict in the region.
He said this attempt was made on Sunday, February 5.
However, the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, accused the military of shooting indiscriminately into some indigenes running for cover, killing seven of them in the process.
Mr Ayariga, subsequently petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) over the alleged killing by the military.
The allegation has since been refuted by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
In a statement, the Ghana Armed Forces said they engaged an armed combatant in Bawku and neutralised six of them.
The MP is demanding investigations into the incident and GH¢500,000 recompense for each person allegedly killed by the military.
The Minority in Parliament has called for an ad-hoc committee to probe the alleged killings.