Dozens of residents in Walewale, North East Region, have reportedly sustained severe injuries after a violent crackdown by armed military personnel.

Witnesses claim the soldiers ordered people to lie face down before beating them with wire cans, while others were forced to roll on the ground and tortured with an object described as mesh wire.

Many victims suffered severe lacerations and fractures, with at least two receiving treatment from a traditional bone specialist.

The motive behind the rampage remains unclear, though a police source linked it to the recent burning of a truck transporting vegetables from Missiga to Kumasi, allegedly tied to the ongoing Bawku conflict.

Victims recounted harrowing experiences, stating that soldiers in armoured vehicles raided shops and gathering spots, forcing people to the ground and assaulting them with wire cans and gun butts.

Even workers at their shops and a group of NDC supporters resting in a pavilion were reportedly brutalised.

“I still don’t know why they beat me,” said a 34-year-old motorbike mechanic who, along with his customers, was attacked while working.

A 67-year-old NDC supporter accused the military commander of ordering the operation based on false allegations, denying any involvement in the arson attack on the truck.

He called on NDC leadership in the region to intervene and demand an investigation into the soldiers’ actions.

The incident has left the town reeling, with calls for accountability and justice for the victims growing louder.