UN Peacekeeping detachment can help demobilize vigilante groups - Major Boakye Gyan

Former Head of Government and Official Spokesperson for the Armed Forces Revolution Council (AFRC) Major Eric Boakye Gyan (rtd) has called on the government to seek the help of the United Nations Peacekeeping detachment to assist in demobilizing vigilante groups in the country.

According to him, the UN's Peacekeeping detachment is in a better position to demobilize the infamous groups since they are not biased and can use a more strategic and firm approach unlike the country's own security services that he believes have elements within them that have an attachment to political parties.

"The difficulty is that the Ghana Security now has been politicised into NPP, NDC, CPP supporters and so forth so our national discipline has broken down and my worry is that if we do not take steps to arrest the problem, it is going to get worse that's why at this stage I am appealing to all the interested parties especially the political class to take steps and invite an independent agency from outside to come and demobilize these groups" he told Boamah Darko on Hot93.9fm's 'Maakye' show.

He added that a meeting between the NPP and NDC alone in an attempt to disband the vigilante groups will not yield the expected results.

"An example is when Joy fm, a reputable media house sends someone to do investigations on our security and the reactions towards it. Different people are reacting differently to it so if NDC meets with NPP to disband these groups and some people go and hide their weapons somewhere then what has been achieved how can we be sure they have really been demobilized that's why I am calling for a United Nations Peacekeeping detachment formally to come to Ghana to assist in demobilizing these militia groups if not we will be zooming into a dangerous situation which may call for a bigger intervention.

The trouble is that because the regular police and armed forces have members who have primary loyalties with political groups, it is going to be difficult to ask them to exercise their independent judgement that is the second reason why we need an external agency to come and help us immediately because if we do not do that then we are allowing the situation to escalate because nothing will stop anyone from creating their own militia group to protect themselves. We are clearly heading towards constitutional breakdown" he further explained.