Ghana’s Security Is At Risk—WANEP Warns





The West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP-Ghana) has identified the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Northern regions as the most volatile areas in the country.

The group made the disclosure in its quarterly report on the nation’s security.

In view of this, WANEP-Ghana is encouraging the security agencies to be on high alert in preserving the nation’s peace especially during the period of the election petition trial.

WANEP-Ghana further urged both the election petitioners and respondents to view the election petition process as addressing the challenges and deficiencies of Ghana’s electoral processes but not as a win or lose contest.

Speaking to Citi News the National Coordinator of WANEP, Justin Bayor, indicated that “many of the politically related violence occurred in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions.”

“The polarisation of the Ghanaian environment by political and governance related issues has for a long time been a threat to the country’s political and social stability; within the past quarter of the year, a total of 14 (20% of all incidents) politically related incidents were captured as seen in figure 1 which represents the second highest threatening indicator in the quarter. Of the 14 political incidents, 7 out of 25 arrests made by the security agencies were politically related,” it indicated.

According to the data, the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western and Central regions witnessed an increase in violent and criminal activities during the quarter; although the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions recorded fewer incidents overall, chieftaincy and land-related incidents were in the majority.

The chieftaincy and land conflicts were, however, more explosive because of their protracted complexities.

Mr. Bayor also called on the two major political parties New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) to educate their supporters to exercise restraint after the ruling.

“We, therefore, urge all to accept the verdict pronounced by the Supreme Court; this includes building individual and group capacities to accept the ruling of the court, limitation of jubilation’s, managing the existing and emerging conflicts through public and group education in order to sustain the current relative calm and stability in the country etc,” he added.

Meanwhile, the report also called on National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) undertake appropriate and adequate strategies towards averting or limiting the effects of rainstorms and floods as the raining season set in well captured the floods which have devastated various communities nationwide.

“The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) should undertake appropriate and adequate strategies towards averting or limiting the effects of rainstorms and floods as the raining season set in; Education on relocation of settlements and properties, strengthening collaboration with the authorities in Burkina Faso to prevent floods, evacuations from flood prone zones, readiness with relief provisions, medics and supplies etc should be instituted,” the report advised.