Hundreds of protesters demanded that the government provide better security to citizens amid several well-known massacres.
Hundreds of opposition supporters marched through the streets of Ghana’s capital, Accra, protesting against what they described as growing insecurity and illegality since President Nana Akufo-Addo came to power in 2017.
Dressed mostly in black or red, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) youth wing danced through the streets on Tuesday with placards like “You tweeted for George Floyd … Ghanaians are dead, speak up!”.
Accompanied by the horns of motorcycle horns and the explosions of music from trucks, the group delivered a petition to the offices of the president and speaker of parliament.
“Thank you to the youth of Ghana for showing up and making a peaceful protest,” George Opare Addo, the NDC’s national youth organizer, posted on Twitter.
“Let the powers be right in our protest and act accordingly.”
Which day! Thank you to the Youth of Ghana for introducing yourself and making a peaceful protest. May the powers be right in our protest and act accordingly. More images will appear! #MarchForJustice # PotènciaJove pic.twitter.com/fUoynwkCkn
– George Opare Addo, Esq. (@georgeoaddo) July 6, 2021
Protesters pointed to a series of high-profile killings across the country.
“The recent killings in the city have frightened us. We are afraid to go out at night for fear of being killed, “said Kingsley Boateng, a 40-year-old mechanic, according to Reuters news agency.
Two protesters were shot dead and four were injured in clashes with security forces in the southern Ashanti region last month, in protests over the death of youth activist Ibrahim “Kaaka” Mohammed.
“Police are full of tyrants and vigilante groups,” said Alisu Ibrahim, an organizer of the protest, according to AFP news agency.
“It simply came to our notice then. That’s what we’re proving. “
Protesters also waved banners criticizing economic hardship and the shutdown, referring to the hashtag #FixTheCountry which has become a popular protest on social media on Twitter in Ghana.
Akufo-Addo won a second term in December after a heated election that was hit by violence in which at least five people died, a rarity in a country that has a reputation for being one of the most stable democracies in the world. ‘West Africa.
On June 29, unidentified people beat to death a young civil rights activist in the city of Ejura, police told local media. Days later two people died protesting his death, following clashes with security forces.
“The Croats for the country to fixate on have become enemies of your government as they are being intimidated, harassed or murdered,” the petition said.
Among his demands, the NDC said the president should “depoliticize security services by introducing reforms to give it real meaning. [their] independence ”.