Ghana: Violent student protest in Kumasi October 22

Event

Students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) - located in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region - engaged in a protest against brutality and unfair treatment by campus security and university management on Monday, October 22. The demonstrations soon took a violent turn as frustrations grew, and students began mounting roadblocks and vandalizing school property and parked vehicles. Students also raided offices in the building and broke glass doors. A joint military and police force was deployed to quell the violence. The university has been indefinitely shut down by local authorities. Additional protests are possible in the near term and further violence cannot be ruled out.

Context

The Students' Representative Council (SRC) of KNUST launched demonstrations in response to the arrests of 11 students on October 19. The students were arrested by police after being charged with illegal assembly and violent behavior when holding a vigil on campus without permission from university authorities.

Advice

Individuals in Kumasi are advised to monitor the situation, avoid all protests due to the risk of violence, and adhere to advice issued by the local authorities.