Guerrilla training at Bawku

The 1992 Constitution outlaws the raising of any private army in Ghana Weeks of undercover investigations and observations at Bawku have revealed large scale guerrilla training being organised for some youth of that volatile town. The guerrilla masters have recruited youth of the town who are receiving extensive training in combat, commando interventions and other ambush and sabotage tactics in Bawku. The guerrilla masters and their trainees have access to sophisticated military assault rifles like G3, AK 47 and SMGs among others. In true guerrilla style, the Bawku guerrillas operate with small, mobile and flexible combat groups or cells, without a front line. By this, they avoid any open confrontation with the security agencies on the ground in Bawku and its surrounding areas. Ghana Observer’s agents who have been on the ground at Bawku and its outlying areas in the last few months found out that the main guerrilla training camp is at a place known as Naf-Kulga. Naf-Kulga is a dry river bed which provides a crater-like space for the guerrilla trainers and their trainees. On a normal day, the guerrilla trainers take their boys through basic and advanced training in weapon handling, combat and commando style raids. Most of the guerrilla trainees who are now accomplished in the training regime are unemployed youth, cola sellers and bicycle sellers or repairers. The guerrilla trainees according to information available to the paper are Kusasi youth who have been recruited from the suburbs and outlying areas of Bawku such as Sabongeri, Ginjanbe, Tesongo as well as Pusiga. From these places, the guerrillas are able to raid Bawku and shoot at specific targets, after which they take a beeline to the Naf-Kulga areas where they bury their weapons and await further instructions for their next operation. A number of sniper related deaths or commando style operation deaths have occurred at Bawku that have left the security agencies clueless. Many persons in the Bawku township who are aware of the guerrilla training that has been going on are in a state of shock over the well crafted strategy and the seeming inaction of the security agencies. At least, there is a detachment of the Air Borne Force of the Ghana Armed Forces from Tamale on the ground in Bawku. One resident told the paper "We are surprised that the security agencies pretend they do not know of the guerrilla training and what has been going on at Naf-Kulga and other parts of Bawku. There is so much shooting around and it is simply because there guerrillas are constantly training and shooting.” One of the paper’s sources who demands that her identity should not be disclosed that: “Anytime these guerrillas kill people on their raids, the security, agencies tell us it is armed robbery but, the truth is that these guerrillas do not take anything from their victims. They just kill to put fear in the people." The 1992 Constitution outlaws the raising of any private army in Ghana as it is happening in Bawku. Source: Ghanaian Observer/Ghana