Government to Issue Position on Bawku Report Within 24 Hours 

President John Dramani Mahama has promised to issue a definitive government statement on Otumfuo’s Bawku mediation report within 24 hours of receiving the findings on Tuesday.

Speaking after the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, presented his mediation report at the Presidency, he said the report marks the end of the mediation phase and the beginning of a reconciliation journey between Kusasi and Mamprusi communities.

“I can assure him that government would look at this report and within the next 24 hours, government will issue a statement on its definitive position on the report,” the President stated.

He described settling the Bawku conflict as urgent for national security, revealing that reports emphasize the need to safeguard Ghana’s northern border from terrorist armed groups operating in Burkina Faso.

“In all the national security reports that I receive, there is urgency put on settling and bringing peace to Bawku so that we can safeguard our whole northern border from the terrorist armed groups that are operating in our northern neighbor Burkina Faso,” President Mahama explained.

The President disclosed that Bawku’s location in the extreme northeast corner of the country makes the conflict strategically important, adding that government has suspended posting national service personnel to the area because it cannot guarantee their safety.

“We are doing national service postings and we have suspended posting national service men and women to Bawku because we cannot guarantee their safety,” he said.

Mahama revealed that teachers, doctors, and civil servants are refusing postings to Bawku or leaving the area due to the ongoing conflict.

The President declared the conflict cannot be resolved through military means, emphasizing the need for mediation and reconciliation.

“This conflict is not winnable militarily. No side can vanquish the other,” the President stated, explaining that the mediation was not an arbitration to determine right or wrong but a process to reconcile the two communities.

He expressed gratitude to Otumfuo for his patience and diligence in working over months to mediate what he described as a “seemingly intractable conflict between two important ethnic groups in our society.”

The President explained that former President Akufo-Addo had invited Otumfuo as sole mediator before leaving office, and he confirmed the mediation status with the Asantehene shortly after taking over.

“He confirmed that he had. And so even though the mediation has been long and I can understand the complexity of the Bawku case, and so it needed time and patience to be able to thoroughly engage all the parties and be able to flesh out the facts and finally come out with a recommendation,” he said.

He praised Otumfuo’s decision to read the report publicly with live coverage, allowing the entire nation to hear the findings.

“I am happy that you took the decision to be transparent about it and read the report yourself. This has been covered live. The whole nation has heard you reading the report,” the President stated.

Mahama called on the National Peace Council, the House of Chiefs, Otumfuo, and religious bodies to continue engagement between the Nayiri and the Bawku Naaba to ensure reconciliation between the two groups.

The President referred to Bawku as having the potential to be “one of the most vibrant commercial centers” in the country and a former trade center where both Mamprusis and Kusasis prospered.

“Unfortunately, this conflict has turned the fortunes of Bawku,” he added.

Speaking on behalf of Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, senior government officials, and the people of Ghana, Mahama thanked Otumfuo for his service to the nation.

“He has shown that he does not belong to Ashanti alone. He is a national asset,” the President said.

Richard Aniagyei, ISD