Members of Parliament (MP) representing Kusaug constituencies have demanded swift government action following a violent military operation in Bawku which left six civilians dead, over 30 injured, and significant property damage.
The press conference, addressed by Hon. Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, MP for Tempane, was held on behalf of the six Kusaug MPs and community opinion leaders based in Accra.
“This statement is by the Members of Parliament of the six constituencies in Kusaug, in the Upper East Region, and Kusaug’s opinion leaders resident in Accra”
Hon. Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, MP for Tempane
She referenced years of ongoing ethnic conflict in the region, attributing the recent escalation to what she described as “the naive, void, illegal purported and scheming of a rival chief of Bawku.” According to the MPs, Bawku has had one legitimate chief since 1984 in the person of Zug-Raan Asigir Abugrago Azoka II.
Hon. Akanvariba detailed the events of Sunday, 13th July 2025, when soldiers allegedly responded to an attack on a military-escorted vehicle by going on what she described as a violent rampage.
“The military personnel in Bawku went on rampage, and murdered six people, maimed more than 30 others, and caused huge destruction to the property of citizens in Bawku. Some of them looted the shops of the people, and made away with key sums of money”
Hon. Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, MP for Tempane
Grief and Outrage
The delegation expressed solidarity for the injured soldiers and victims of the initial attack. “We sympathise with the two soldiers – who got injured – and we wish them a speedy recovery,” Hon. Lamisi noted.
Yet they maintained that the security response was grossly disproportionate and unlawful. “There have been one too many of these events,” she said, recounting previous similar incidents in the region in the last year or two in Garu-Tempane.
A particularly sensitive issue for the Kusaug community has been the desecration of a cultural symbol during the rampage.
“The military, in a needless and spiteful hate against Kusasi, pulled down the statue of our overlord, Zug-Raan Asigir Abugrago Azoka II, and set it ablaze in a pointless revolutionary style.
“What was the point in the destruction of the statue of our overlord? What security threat did the statue pose? And what threat does the destruction solve?”
Hon. Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, MP for Tempane
Beyond questioning the justification of such an extreme reaction, the MPs stated emphatically that actions like that not only insult the Kusaal people but “rejects them.”
Accountability and Reparation
The MPs presented clear demands to the government and the Ghana Armed Forces. They asked that the armed forces render an unqualified apology to the Zug-Raan and the people of Kusaal for the unprofessional and banditry actions of the military in Bawku.
They also called for an investigation and prosecution of soldiers involved and found culpable, a complete security overhaul in Bawku, and a shift in operational strategy.
“The Ghana Armed Forces should endeavor to adopt proper intelligence gathering to deal with security threats and avoid their age-long unproductive style of always having to use a sledgehammer to kill a mosquito. They only succeed in killing and maiming innocent people”
Hon. Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, MP for Tempane
Further, the MPs demanded that immediate steps be taken by the Ghana Armed Forces to rebuild the desecrated statue of their overlord, Zug-Raan, and that victims and their families be compensated.
“Pay decent and reasonable compensation to the families of those they murdered, compensate the injured and refund the full value of the properties the soldiers destroyed.
“We pray that the government through the Ghana Armed Forces will accede to our demand in order to restore the cordial peaceful relations that exist between us”
Hon. Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, MP for Tempane
Besides urging the administration to heed their demands in order to restore trust, the group also commended the Asantehene’s efforts in mediating the conflict in the Bawku region and hoped that calm will be restored to the region soon.
Closing the statement, Hon. Lamisi thanked the media and affirmed their commitment to peaceful resolution. “May the good Lord keep Zug-Raan and make Kusaal great and strong.”
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