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General news for Friday, October 2, 2020
Source: GNA
2020-10-02
IPEG seeks to critically engage relevant focus areas on peace, conflict and governance
The Institute for Peace and Governance (IPEG) has diagnosed the activities of the West Togoland Study Group (WTL) and said it was likely that attacks on state facilities could increase.
“The number of attacks of this type is very likely to increase.”
It read: “Most likely, attacks will target state infrastructure / facilities as well as property, with minimal deaths and injuries.”
This was in a statement issued by IPEG and signed by Mr. Justin Bayor, Program Director, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Tamale on Friday.
The statement analyzed the separatist activities of the WTL and the increase in domestic terrorism, saying: “These attacks may be concentrated on facilities within western Togoland at first.
He added that “the activities of the secessionist group will eventually escalate into violent activities with mass destruction and mass murder targeted within western Togoland.”
He said that the secessionist’s violent activities would then assume dimensions to cover other parts of the country, beyond the western territory of Togo, adding “Ultimately, the group will request and receive external support from like-minded non-state actors.”
The institute projected that the motive of the separatist group at this point could be diagnosed as transformative in nature.
He said that “their recent activities indicate that they are notifying the state that they are transforming from a non-violent group to a violent group with sufficient capacity to execute their strategy.”
It said “First of all, the number of violent activities in Ghana will increase at this time and before the elections.”
He added that “secondly, they will gradually intensify their violent attacks on state infrastructure and property with minimal deaths and injuries, and then progressively move into the arena of mass murder and destruction within Ghana.” “Therefore, we come to the conclusion that we may be witnessing the development of a national terrorist group or groups in the future,” he added.
The statement recommended that “the State use its resources to increase its intelligence gathering capabilities, key to rejecting them, to prevent the secessionist group from reaching its projected evolution.”
He said: “The State takes advantage of its influence, authority and capabilities, regardless of the 2020 elections and the government in power, to mercilessly treat all persons identified as directly involved in the activities of this group (s) ( s) because they are in the process of becoming national terrorists. “
He said that the State must project force and power in its response to reaffirm to citizens its ability and capacity to deal with the situation, adding: “This will prevent the civilian population from taking up arms to defend themselves against this group (s). .. “
He called on “neutral non-state actors, such as CSOs, to endeavor to engage separatist groups behind the scenes to identify their interests and needs in order to provide the state with the alternative actions necessary to address their needs and interests, but not your position on secession. “
IPEG is a group of experts that conducts research on peace and security issues in order to inform political directions.
IPEG seeks to critically engage relevant focus areas on peace, conflict, human security, and governance, with the aim of informing policy-making and institutional practice in Ghana.
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