Separatism, Galamsey threatens the stability of Ghana

Ghana has been efficient at harmonizing its varying cultures and tribes, ensuring unity in diversity. The democratic state has alternated between military regimes that would have jeopardized its national security but has managed to keep the country intact.

Pockets of ethnic violence erupts intermittently, nonetheless, they are contained and prevented from spilling into other parts of the state. Whilst Ghana lies within a volatile sub-region with insurgent groups operating in neighboring countries, she has done well to ward off the infiltration of these terrorist groups into her territorial space.

Ghana has a robust security architecture, an active police service, a Bureau of National Investigation, the armed forces and national security council, established by the security and intelligence agencies act of 1996 – ACT 526. 

The armed forces and the police have a record of discipline and gallantry in handling domestic issues and on peacekeeping operations. Their contribution to the maintenance of world peace has attracted international approbation in missions they have served; in Lebanon, Sudan, Morocco, Sierra Leone and across the skies Kosovo and Burma.

The security of Ghana is very important to it citizens, enterprises, and translates into investor confidence in the assessment of the local economy, hence the need to safeguard the integrity of the state. 

Ghana is faced with smoldering issues that border on its security- the threat of separation of a group of people to form a new state, political party vigilante groups and the hazard of illegal gold mining in its waters and forests poses national security risks to the image of the democratic state. 

This article explores these three topical issues in the security space and offers some suggestions herein in an attempt to provide a comprehensive insight into the discourse

VOLTA SEPARATISM

Between 1884 and 1916, the present day Volta Region of Ghana was administered as a German colony known as Togoland. Togoland was under a wider ambit of the German Protectorate of West Africa. 

The colonies were administered as separate entities after the First World War. Trans-Volta Togoland fell under British rule whilst German Togoland was administered by France in 1916 and formalized in 1922. The Volta Region was integrated into the Gold Coast in 1956 via plebiscite to determine their unification with the Gold Coast that would become an independent nation or join Togoland (Togo). 

58% of the people of Togoland voted to join the Gold Coast whilst 42% opted to join Togoland. The electioneering activities were carried out under the Togoland Congress (TCP) political party. The plebiscite was formalized under the independence act of 1956 gazeting the results of the plebiscite.

Renewed vigour of separatism has been resumed by 

Homeland Study Group Foundation in the region to press home demands for secession over the non-implementation of the dictates of the plebiscite carried out in 1956 which states summarily that the region shall be run as a separate union but with a common constitution. 

Whilst the demands of the group is clear, the legal nuances of the demands makes their case bleak and runs contrary to the prevailing international order of globalisation which rather facilitates the integration of states and nations into political and economic blocs.

The group claims the region has been deprived of consistent development and the region possesses enough natural resources and oil deposits to administer it as a separate entity. They claim Volta region is blessed with so many natural resources such as Gold, Iron Ore (Akpafu) Jasper, Manganese (Kpando), Clinker (Aflao-Kpetoe), Uranium (Amedzorpe), Waters, Crude Oil (Keta), fertile land and several others.

The secessionism by the Volta people are at its smoldering state, fear has rocked the cocoa exporting nation of a possible conflict and infiltration by sub-regional insurgent groups has not been ruled out, however a name has already been proposed for the future state called Todzie. 

Records of secessions on the continent has always been a long-drawn bloody war with separatists and the sovereign. The separation of Eritrea from Ethiopia devolved into a war that lasted some thirty years, the Biafra in Nigeria lasted three years, Katanga in the former Zaire lasted some four years, South Sudan is the latest culprit. Many of the break-away states do not end well, they run inefficient kakistocracy regimes and are mired in corruption, the Volta secessionists would not be any different from the above mentioned groups.

POLITICAL PARTY INSURGENT GROUPS

According to CRIME MUSEUM, Vigilantism is the act of taking the law into one’s own hands and attempting to enact justice according to one’s own understanding of right and wrong; action taken by a voluntary association of persons who organize themselves for the purpose of protecting a common interest, outside the remit of the legal norms of society. 

Political parties in Ghana keep vigilante groups, however this is more common to the NPP and NDC. Groups like bolga bulldogs, Azoka boys, invincible forces and the Delta force have been linked inextricably to these two political parties. The laws of the republic are clear on group formation.

 Individuals are at liberty to join groups and form associations; however the activities of these groups must be consonance with the dictates of the constitution. The motivation to form these groups are generally carved in the mistrust for the Ghanaian security system.

In Ghana, the security system becomes an extension of the ruling government. Opposition parties are treated with disrespect and taunted with government security apparatus; they are given limited safety during campaign seasons and hence must put together private security details together to beef up their protection. 

These para-military groups come in handy to offer escorts and protection to these parties. The danger is these groups not disbanded after they have served their purpose. The promises of employment and appointment after their politicians annex power emboldens them to act brutishly in the face of the law. 

Employment opportunities are scanty in Ghana. Graduate unemployment keeps surging, the informal economic sector is also mercurial because of austere economic policies. Many of the members of the vigilante groups are built macho men who are unemployed. 

The political parties exploit these vulnerabilities and put them at the forefront of violent activities. They have been several clashes between this antagonistic groups that has led to the loss of innocent lives. 

The latest attack on a government appointee for regional security coordinator and on the judiciary has alarmed the public on the excessive activities of these groups. These groups have become audacious to the point of disagreeing with democratic processes in Ghana.

The covert tool they employ is hide behind government support and perpetuate hooliganism. It raises questions about the readiness of Ghana’s national security framework to tackle this decadence head on, or allow further infiltration by terrorist groups in the sub-region.

GALAMSEY 

The degradation illegal gold mining is causing the environment has not only lead to shortage of potable water, nor the destruction of forest reserves but has destroyed agriculture land. The menace poses an imminent security peril because intermittent clashes between citizens, foreigners and local policemen could explode into violence.

Small scale mining is allowed under our laws but limited to only the citizens of Ghana. The trend changed a few years ago when Chinese citizens broke our laws with impunity to commercialize the enterprise. 

The corollary effects have been mass pollution, drying up of rivers and the depletion of vegetation. Our laws are very clear on what the punishments are, but cracking the whip has become an uphill task.

Galamsey has opened discussions on the robustness of our state agencies- the immigration service, the police service and national security on how ineffective and lackluster they have been in arresting these deviants. It also lends credence to our porous borders and the ineffectiveness of the protectors of our territorial space and the shabby work they are doing.

The unemployment factor cannot be ruled out of the equation, a lot of families depend on this trade, but must it be done at the expense of the environment? 

Our local authorities have not done well in this regard, due diligence has been omitted in allocating lands to these foreigners and have failed in monitoring their operations.

They have been silenced with the kick-backs they receive, ignoring the communal cry for the regulation of their activities. The lack of synergy between local government and state security apparatus is troubling. The dearth of seamless coordination between these two bodies affirms why foreigners operating illegally in a sovereign country can boldly own firearms and face off with our security audaciously. It only reveals one thing, we undermine our own security!

The government is in tight corners because it has built with the Chinese a dependent relationship over the years. The Chinese have furnished our parliament, given us power plants, saved our crumbling economy on many occasions and supported many projects. We are at the crossroads, protect the environment and save our people or drive the Chinese away and mar our dependent relations with them. The choice is ours!

CONCLUSION AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS

The implication for secession is war. No supra-national state would allow its integrity to be impugned by intra-state groups to cause separation. It is not allowed. The only successful secession to have occurred is the separation of Eritrea from Ethiopia, even that, it took some three decades of gory conflict. Secessions trigger chain reactions where other groups or regions would want to follow suit. Separatism questions the security alertness of the state and opens up imminent invasion by other guerrilla or hostile groups. 

Vigilantism is archaic and must be disallowed in a modern democratic dispensation. It obviates the proper application of the rule of law, besides it paints a gloomy picture about a country revered as a bastion of democracy. Our laws must work, security of any nation is important; it translates into the positive performance of all the sectors of governance. 

The security system must operate in a manner that exudes confidence on all fronts. This is the only way to avert political party vigilantism.

The sovereignty of a nation resides in its people. The people deserve an appreciable level of good of life. They must have unlimited access to good drinking water and supply of food. Anything short of this threatens their survival. Illegal mining portends the destruction of water bodies, forest and agricultural lands. The by Chinese must be tackled head on, fined in a court of law and deported thereafter. 

The security of any state is consequential to human survival. Let us all work to ensure its sanctity.

Source: Policy Institute for International Relation and Security