A Conflict and Security Analyst has condemned the Defence Minister for encouraging the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to deal with persons behind the Bawku conflict as criminals.

Col Festus B. Aboagye (Rtd) said labelling parties in the current conflict was unhelpful because it was counterproductive and would eventually help inflame passions, causing the war to escalate.

The security analyst explained to the host of JoyNews’ Newsfile, Samson Lardy Anyenini on Saturday that the military's job was to help de-escalate the violence that had broken out in the area.

"It does not help at all that certain utterances by politically exposed persons including the Defence Minister, start labelling any or all the parties as criminals.”

He added that another duty of the military was to foster an environment that would be conducive to mediation and constructive dialogue because military intervention would not end the conflict.

The Security Analyst’s statement follows an altercation in Bawku, where the military claims to have killed some six-armed men that attacked them when they were deployed to assess a sporadic shooting in the Sabongari General Area.

However, the MP for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has since come out to say that the narrative of the GAF regarding the incident was false. He has vowed to seek justice for his constituents whom he alleges were brutally killed by the military.

But the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul addressing the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, disclosed that he had urged the armed forces to deal with persons involved in the conflict as “pure criminals.”

Mr Nitiwul's explanation of his previous statement was that the ongoing violence was no longer connected to chieftaincy but rather was being conducted by criminality.

Addressing the Defence Minister’s remarks, the former colonel further advised that the first step that ought to be taken to de-escalate the tension at Bawku was for those in authority to use caution in their words when addressing the issue in the area.