The post-Ayawaso by-election could witness three times the violence – Aning dreads

General News of Saturday, February 9, 2019

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2019-02-09

Kwesi Aning, a security badyst, fears that another nationwide by-election will trigger greater toughness than that experienced in Ayawaso West Wuogon's constituency.

According to him, whatever the recommendations of the commission of inquiry, composed of three members, the incidence of acts of banditry sponsored by political groups will continue.

Dr. Aning thinks that this chaos will infect, given the growing number of self-defense groups created by political parties across the country.

Masked men dressed in the National Security uniform stormed the residence of Democratic National Congress (NDC) candidate, opposition party Kwasi Brempong, during the election. partial of January 31 in the district of Ayawaso West Wuogon.

They attacked his supporters, including Ningo Prampram MP Samuel George, and fired shots that injured many others. This act has been widely condemned by civil society organizations as well as by international organizations such as UNDP.

The government subsequently set up the Emile Short Commission and, inter alia, instructed it to submit its report to the President within one month, indicating the reasons for its conclusions and recommendations, as well as the sanctions. appropriate, where appropriate ".

However, Dr. Aning, also director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research (FAAR) of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center (KAIPTC), does not expect a de-escalation of the violence and resulting violence in Ghanaian politics.

"Let's get to another by-election after the commission's report, the violence we will see will be three times more serious than" Ayawaso, "he told Newsfile Saturday, before wagering with his doctorate. certificate.

"It's an informal opposition that's starting to threaten the [then] formal opposition group [NPP] who recruited them, "he told animator Samson Lardy Anyenini.

The expert said, "What Ayawso showed us are those who pretended to be" kaakamotobis ". [masked men] with earrings, with gold chains, with bandannas and masked as if they were in Starwars and that they called them security … "

These groups, he explained, operate with the "deliberate manipulation process of first infiltrating, hijacking and radicalizing," and "begin to become an informal opposition."