The Head of Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research (FAAR) Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Centre, has stressed the need for a third party to be included in the mediation process of disbanding party militia groups.
Dr Kwesi Aning has cast doubts on the ability of the two major political parties – National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) – to take any meaningful steps to stump out these groups due to the deep-rooted involvement of either the parties or individual members in them.
His comments come on the back of the latest undercover investigations by Joy News’ Manasseh Azure Awuni, which reveals how the governing NPP is training a party militia group affiliated to it at a state facility classified as Security Zone.
The group – De-Eye Group - has been meeting at the facility for close to two years and the revelation has left many Ghanaians in shock, especially at a time when the public is waiting on the NPP and NDC to take decisive action on party militia groups following a directive by President Akufo-Addo.
In a response to if the details of the documentary which will aired on Joy News television at 8:30 PM on Thursday, does not do irreparable damage to the president’s call to disband party militias, Dr Aning said knowledge production and its use in helping to clarify difficult situations, must be brought to bear in the situation.
“If we take the Ofosu Ampofo tape last week that seemed to have weakened the position of the NDC and we now take what has happened with Manasseh’s investigations, what it means is that the two parties will go into the room with a dagger behind their backs.
“Both parties don’t trust each other. This problem goes problem goes beyond the two parties and includes the existence of Ghanaians as a whole. So if we are sincere about this process, we need an impartial credible third-party mediator to begin the process of building trust,” he said.
Dr Aning who has already recommended the inclusion of the United Nations (UN) in the dialogue of disbanding party militia groups said the role of this impartial credible mediator will be to ensure that the dynamism and speed of the process continues towards the identified end.
Video: Excerpts of Manasseh’s new explosive documentary
Training of party militia
Commenting on Manasseh’s latest work, Dr Aning said the revelations do not surprise him but only go to show the extent of the problem.
“…the rootedness in our society, the spread of small arms, the willingness to use sophisticated propaganda methodologies to sell violence and make it palatable and to create an acceptable everydayness around that violence.
“But it also represents the multiple voices around the claim to disband, de-regularise and to punish. This tape, once more, demonstrates the need to build trust and to get people who are vested and experienced in the processes of creating enabling environments and an uneven playing ground when parties and individuals are suspicious of each other,” he said.
He said the content of the new undercover investigations will demonstrate the existential threat the militia groups pose to the country
Licensing regime
Dr Aning blames the increasing upsurge of these groups on the weak licensing regime of the Interior Ministry over the past two decades.
He said the “licensing of so-called private security companies is very weak and closely related to that, is the weak licensing regime of the companies that can bring in guns and ammunition into this country.”
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