In the light of the presidential election on December 7, the Ghanaian army has been stationed in the Volta region, which is favorable for the opposition party. A military presence that displeases the local traditional leaders, who say they fear “threats” to voters and demand demilitarization of the area.
as reported from Accra, Marine Jeannin
Since September, the Volta region has been the site of a significant deployment of Ghanaian security forces. Too important, according to local traditional leaders, who are asking the government to demilitarize the region beforepresidential election on December 7.
According to them, the presence of the army can scare voters and even discourage them from going to the polls. The effort is all the more important because Volta is the stronghold of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the largest opposition party.
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For the government, this security deployment is motivated by the violence perpetrated in September by the secessionists in western Togoland. The latter, calling for the creation of an independent state between Ghana and Togo, then set up barricades, attacked police stations and kidnapped police officers.
But Volta’s traditional rulers say that calm has now returned to the region and that the army’s presence is no longer necessary.
Already in June, the army was sent out to ensure the establishment of the electoral register. Volta leaders then condemned threats of action and even violence by security forces against voters.
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