VZCZCXRO2887
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHAR #1262 3341626
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301626Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8552
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS ACCRA 001262 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958; N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KCRM GH
SUBJECT: Military Personnel Accused of Human Rights Violations in 
Northern Ghana 
 
REF: ACCRA 916 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: A video and still photos were released to the 
Ghanaian media November 23 depicting military personnel in Bawku 
(Upper East Region) interrogating and abusing two naked civilian 
suspects.  Earlier media reports stated that soldiers stripped the 
suspects and paraded them through the township on November 15 
following their arrest.  The Bawku chieftaincy conflict is between 
members of the rival Kusasi and Mamprusi ethnic groups, and tensions 
have been fueled by partisan differences.  While the images have 
provoked public outrage, civil society leaders have condemned the 
alleged abuses and called for an investigation and appropriate 
sanctions.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The suspects were detained by military personnel for 
alleged involvement in sporadic shooting in the Natinga area in 
Bawku. According to press reports, the suspects possessed automatic 
weapons and ammunition.  A sixty second video distributed to some 
local media websites November 23 depicts two naked, bleeding men. 
Photographs show a soldier kicking a suspect and placing the tip of 
his gun in a suspect's mouth.   An employee of the National Peace 
Council (which has played a mediating role in the Bawku conflict) 
and security analyst told us November 25 that the Military High 
Command is questioning the Bawku unit commander and has launched an 
inquiry into the incident.  The images have provoked a public 
outcry, including numerous phone calls into radio talk programs. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The video and photographs followed allegations of abuse in 
the media during the past several weeks.  On November 19, Chief of 
Defense Staff (CDS) Major General Peter Augustine Blay denied the 
abuse allegations, including earlier media reports that soldiers 
deliberately stripped the suspects naked. Prior to the disclosure of 
the images, the soldiers had claimed that in attempting to arrest 
the suspect, he struggled with them, which resulted in his clothes 
getting torn. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Civil society leaders have condemned the incident and urged 
the military to thoroughly address the alleged abuses. On November 
25 an Armed Forces spokesman made a statement regretting the 
soldiers' conduct, and assured the public that the video would be 
examined in conjunction with the investigation.  He stated that 
anyone found guilty of abuse will be punished. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The current violence in Bawku is part of a protracted 
chieftaincy dispute between the Kusasi and Mamprusi ethnic groups, 
based largely over scarce resources in one of Ghana's poorest 
regions.  This conflict has also manifested itself among northern 
migrant communities in Accra, including the August violence that led 
to the death of three individuals at the Agbobloshie market 
(reftel). The conflict has defied efforts to find a solution, and 
the recurrent violence has claimed lives and property.  Politicians 
from both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New 
Patriotic Party (NPP) have accused each other (with justification) 
of taking sides and fanning the conflict for electoral advantage. 
The majority of Kusasis are pro-NDC and vote en-block while most 
Mamprusis are pro-NPP.  The Mamprusis' feeling of marginalization 
under the current government is also fueled by the complete lack of 
Mamprusi representation in senior government positions.  [Note: For 
example, the District Chief Executive in Bawku, Deputy Regional 
Minister, and Minister of Interior are all Kusasis, and the Attorney 
General is currently seeking to remove the (Mamprusi and NPP) Bawku 
Member of Parliament Adamu Daramani-Sakande from his seat. End 
Note]. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment: Ghana's military has been well regarded both for 
their performance as peace-keepers abroad and for their neutral and 
professional role in Ghana.  This incident will undoubtedly weaken 
public confidence in the military as a defender of human rights. 
The incident also illustrates the civilian leadership's inability to 
effectively address the political and ethnic tensions that underpin 
the long-standing chieftancy conflict in Bawku. End Comment.