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Flashback: In the heat of the communal violence in Bawku, members of the National Peace Council were in the municipality to hold consultations with the various factions. It is the prayer of all and sundry that the peace process that has been initiated will lead to permanent peace in Bawku.
THE once sprawling commercial hub of the Upper East Region, Bawku, woke up to an unfortunate scene of violence at dawn early this year.
The Bawku conflict, which started on January 1, 2008 as a result of differences between two of Ghana's most endowed ethnic groups, the Kusasis and the Mamprusis, has already claimed several lives, while property worth several thousands of Ghana cedis has been lost.
Following that unfortunate incident, the government imposed a curfew on Bawku and its environs. The curfew is still in force and it is reviewed at regular intervals in anticipation that permanent peace will return to the area.
The conflict in Bawku has made it difficult for the people to lobby for development projects for the municipality and the entire region.
Resources meant for development projects are used for peacekeeping. The educational, health and other sectors of the economy of the municipality collapsed in the heat of the conflict.
The conflict attracted the attention and sympathy of many Ghanaians. For example, President John Agyekum Kufuor himself invited the traditional rulers of the two traditional areas to the Osu Castle to talk peace.
The National Peace Council went over to Bawku, Bolgatanga and Kongo to hold peace talks with the various stakeholders, including the minority tribes and civil society organisations.
In addition to the deployment of security personnel to Bawku to maintain law and order, the government also provided logistic support for the people.
One cannot also ignore the visit by the ministers of the Interior and of Defence, as well as the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Defence Staff, to the area to assess the security situation there, with the view to finding a lasting solution to the conflict.
Some concerned women of Bawku, unable to bear the pain, also added their voices to the need for peace by embarking on mass peace marches to impress upon their husbands and the youth to put an end to the senseless carnage.
Religious groups, namely, Christians and Moslems, also got actively involved in peace-making activities, while several peace jingles were produced in the various languages and played back on the various FM radio stations to sensitise the people to the need to embrace peace.
Public education and sensitisation campaigns on peace by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) have all contributed to the maintenance of peace in Bawku.
The NCCE has, as part of its planned activities, been holding group discussions in several communities, schools and marketplaces to educate the citizens on constitutional provisions and also seek their views on how to sustain the prevailing peace in and around Bawku.
With the approach of the general election, the general concern one picks up from the streets of Bawku is whether the relative peace being enjoyed in the area will be jeopardised.
Election 2008 comes at a time when Bawku has gone through difficult times due to the conflict, with the attendant hostilities among its inhabitants.
This is one concern that has driven the Bawku Literary Society (BLS) to map out an innovative approach through a series of activities to ensure peace and violence-free elections, particularly in Bawku and its environs.
As part of the society's contribution towards peaceful and violence-free elections, it has, among other things, planned to engage key stakeholders by organising radio discussions, community outreach programmes and parliamentary forums, all aimed at educating the people in Bawku on the need to maintain peace and enhance understanding of the electioneering process among the people to enable Bawku to go through the elections peacefully.
The main objective of the project, according to the society, is to strive for a conducive atmosphere to prevail in Bawku to pave the way for smooth and peaceful presidential and parliamentary elections.
The General Secretary of the BLS, Mr Abdul-Rahman Winimi, is of the view that the implementation of the project will go a long way to educate the people of Bawku on the need for peace and enhance their understanding of the electioneering so that Bawku can go through the elections peacefully.
Peaceful elections in Bawku will demonstrate to the people of Ghana and the world at large that the people of Bawku, contrary to public perception, are capable of sustaining the relative peace currently prevailing in the area.
Bawku must not burn because of the upcoming general election. So many resources have already been sunk into the search for peace for the once lovely town, and the time has come for all and sundry to join hands with the BLS, the Bawku Municipal Assembly and the government to ensure that peace, unity and harmony exist in Bawku.
The Paramount Chief of Bawku, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, has already entreated all political parties to feel free to extend their campaigns to Bawku but warned them to be wary of the kind of messages they preach on the campaign platforms, since his traditional council would not support any political party that would preach the politics of division.
The new Upper East Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Alhaji Hamidu Mahama, has emphasised that his outfit will deal ruthlessly with anybody who threatens the peace of the area.
Already, the Bawku Municipal Assembly, under the leadership of its young Chief Executive, Abdulai Abanga, has outlined some good plans for the rapid development of the area, including the resuscitation of the brick and tile factory at Mognori and the construction of a modern multi-purpose abattoir at Bawku, stressing that violence should be the last thing to thwart those efforts.
Bawku has come a long way and the time has come for Ghanaians, including politicians, to support it to overcome the unending conflict.
The Bawku conflict, which started on January 1, 2008 as a result of differences between two of Ghana's most endowed ethnic groups, the Kusasis and the Mamprusis, has already claimed several lives, while property worth several thousands of Ghana cedis has been lost.
Following that unfortunate incident, the government imposed a curfew on Bawku and its environs. The curfew is still in force and it is reviewed at regular intervals in anticipation that permanent peace will return to the area.
The conflict in Bawku has made it difficult for the people to lobby for development projects for the municipality and the entire region.
Resources meant for development projects are used for peacekeeping. The educational, health and other sectors of the economy of the municipality collapsed in the heat of the conflict.
The conflict attracted the attention and sympathy of many Ghanaians. For example, President John Agyekum Kufuor himself invited the traditional rulers of the two traditional areas to the Osu Castle to talk peace.
The National Peace Council went over to Bawku, Bolgatanga and Kongo to hold peace talks with the various stakeholders, including the minority tribes and civil society organisations.
In addition to the deployment of security personnel to Bawku to maintain law and order, the government also provided logistic support for the people.
One cannot also ignore the visit by the ministers of the Interior and of Defence, as well as the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Defence Staff, to the area to assess the security situation there, with the view to finding a lasting solution to the conflict.
Some concerned women of Bawku, unable to bear the pain, also added their voices to the need for peace by embarking on mass peace marches to impress upon their husbands and the youth to put an end to the senseless carnage.
Religious groups, namely, Christians and Moslems, also got actively involved in peace-making activities, while several peace jingles were produced in the various languages and played back on the various FM radio stations to sensitise the people to the need to embrace peace.
Public education and sensitisation campaigns on peace by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) have all contributed to the maintenance of peace in Bawku.
The NCCE has, as part of its planned activities, been holding group discussions in several communities, schools and marketplaces to educate the citizens on constitutional provisions and also seek their views on how to sustain the prevailing peace in and around Bawku.
With the approach of the general election, the general concern one picks up from the streets of Bawku is whether the relative peace being enjoyed in the area will be jeopardised.
Election 2008 comes at a time when Bawku has gone through difficult times due to the conflict, with the attendant hostilities among its inhabitants.
This is one concern that has driven the Bawku Literary Society (BLS) to map out an innovative approach through a series of activities to ensure peace and violence-free elections, particularly in Bawku and its environs.
As part of the society's contribution towards peaceful and violence-free elections, it has, among other things, planned to engage key stakeholders by organising radio discussions, community outreach programmes and parliamentary forums, all aimed at educating the people in Bawku on the need to maintain peace and enhance understanding of the electioneering process among the people to enable Bawku to go through the elections peacefully.
The main objective of the project, according to the society, is to strive for a conducive atmosphere to prevail in Bawku to pave the way for smooth and peaceful presidential and parliamentary elections.
The General Secretary of the BLS, Mr Abdul-Rahman Winimi, is of the view that the implementation of the project will go a long way to educate the people of Bawku on the need for peace and enhance their understanding of the electioneering so that Bawku can go through the elections peacefully.
Peaceful elections in Bawku will demonstrate to the people of Ghana and the world at large that the people of Bawku, contrary to public perception, are capable of sustaining the relative peace currently prevailing in the area.
Bawku must not burn because of the upcoming general election. So many resources have already been sunk into the search for peace for the once lovely town, and the time has come for all and sundry to join hands with the BLS, the Bawku Municipal Assembly and the government to ensure that peace, unity and harmony exist in Bawku.
The Paramount Chief of Bawku, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, has already entreated all political parties to feel free to extend their campaigns to Bawku but warned them to be wary of the kind of messages they preach on the campaign platforms, since his traditional council would not support any political party that would preach the politics of division.
The new Upper East Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Alhaji Hamidu Mahama, has emphasised that his outfit will deal ruthlessly with anybody who threatens the peace of the area.
Already, the Bawku Municipal Assembly, under the leadership of its young Chief Executive, Abdulai Abanga, has outlined some good plans for the rapid development of the area, including the resuscitation of the brick and tile factory at Mognori and the construction of a modern multi-purpose abattoir at Bawku, stressing that violence should be the last thing to thwart those efforts.
Bawku has come a long way and the time has come for Ghanaians, including politicians, to support it to overcome the unending conflict.
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