The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Ghana Army – Major General (Maj Gen) Lawrence Kwaku Gbetanu paid an operational visit to Bawku, in the Upper East Region of Ghana, and called on the Bawku Naaba – Chief of Bawku – and his council of elders.
During his visit to the palace on Wednesday 23 April 2025, General Gbetanu expressed appreciation to the Bawku Naaba for his continued support and collaboration to help in maintaining law and order at Bawku and its environs, and urged him to continue to cooperate with the military, in order to create an environment conducive for peace and development.
Expressing condolences for those affected one way or the other in the conflict, the Army Commander hinted of some locations that have been identified as hotspots to the conflicts, and thus assured the Bawku Naaba of intensified measures to restore calm in such areas.
The Bawku Naaba recounted sacrifices made by the military to restore calm and stability in Bawku and its environs, and further noted that security is a cooperative effort involving the government, its security agencies, and the general citizenry.
He commended the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) generally, for the recent Cordon and Search Operation conducted by personnel of the Joint Task Force (JTF) at Bawku and Ghana Army’s 11 Mechanized Battalion (11 Mech Bn), and requested for such operations to be carried out frequently, to arrest civilians in possession of arms and ammunitions, and seize them.
The COAS also visited the JTF, interacted with the troops deployed at various detachments in the township of Bawku, and encouraged them to continue to give off their best in restoring calm and peace at Bawku and in the Upper East Region as a whole, urging them to maintain their professionalism and swift responses towards the resolution of the conflict.
He further conveyed Ghana’s Military High Command’s (MHC) commendation to All Ranks of the troops for the professionalism in dealing with the situation at Bawku, and charged them to remain impartial in the discharge of their duties.
At a media briefing held at Bazua Camp, near Bawku, Maj Gen LK Gbetanu condemned the behavior of some youth in Bawku, and appealed to the Bawku Naaba, his elders, and opinion leaders in the community, to impress upon the recalcitrant young ones to exercise restraint, and join hands with the security agencies to ensure peace.
He also assured that GAF, in collaboration with other security agencies, would continue to remain steadfast in their commitment to restoring peace and security to Bawku.
With the COAS during the visit included the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Northern Command (N/COMD) – Brigadier General Frank Nartey Tei; Commander, JTF, Bawku – Colonel Rosslyn Foli Atiogbe, as well as Staff Officers from the Army Headquarters, and Headquarters N/COMD.
