African Union High Representative for Silencing the Guns, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, is urging Ghana’s political parties to act swiftly to end recurring acts of violence that continue to mar elections in the country.
Dr. Chambas highlighted the troubling pattern of electoral violence, especially at well-known hotspots that could be anticipated and mitigated if the right actions were taken.
“Let’s face it, these incidents of violence are also limited to a known area. So, they are usually hotspots that we are able to identify way ahead of elections,” he noted in Joy News.
He explained that both the security agencies and analysts have strong early warning systems to detect potential flashpoints. The issue, he stressed, lies in what is done with that information.
“So we have very good early warning analysis to tell us where problems could arise, including by security agencies. I’m aware of all of that. So the issue is now to do the work that is required.”
Dr. Chambas condemned the increasing attacks on senior political leaders, ministers, and other figures, calling such actions intolerable.
“But the scenes that we see of, you know, attacking former, you know, leaders and… senior leaders of political parties, ministers and others—it’s just not tolerable. It’s unacceptable, and it’s a long list.”
He emphasised the importance of engaging young people in peaceful political participation and educating them about their roles in a democracy.
“It requires dialogue and training and engaging these youth constructively and positively to eschew violence and to understand what elections are about and what their role is,” he explained.
“The youth wing of a party has a role to mobilise people and get people to come out and vote and get a high turnout. There’s no question about that.”
