BAWKU NANA OKAYS MEASURES (PAGE 3, NOV 5)

THE Bawku Naba, Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, has endorsed measures taken by the Upper East Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to curb the latest round of violence in the traditional area.
Speaking through a spokesperson to the media at his palace in reaction to the disturbances that had so far claimed three lives, the Bawku Naba commended the security personnel for their swift response to the disturbances and urged them to be firm and professional in handling the situation.
He said the latest disturbances in the area had come as a surprise to him, emphasising that he was particularly disturbed by the turn of events, especially at a time when more efforts and resources from state agencies and NGOs had been pumped into various peace initiatives.
“I am particularly disturbed by the turn of events. My hope was that the Bawku Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee which was formed by the government through the regional minister was about to make a breakthrough for peace to prevail.
Unfortunately, our Mamprusi counterparts withdrew from the committee and have disorganised its activities,” he said.
While commending the security agencies, he also called on his subjects to remain calm and co-operate with the agencies to bring the situation under control while the government found lasting solutions to the chronic ethnic conflict.
The latest violence erupted on Friday, October 30, 2009 when a cattle dealer, Fuseini Imoro, was ambushed by some youth who shot at him around the cattle market at Kariyama, a suburb of Bawku.
The cattle dealer, however, escaped narrowly.
Then on Sunday, November 1, 2009, when the family members and friends of the late Barichesu Fuseini had gathered to mourn her at her residence at Mazema, some gunmen, alleged to be Mamprusis, suddenly arrived at the house and shot into the gathering, injuring two persons in the process.
There was another indiscriminate shooting just about the same time at Azaanga, a predominantly Kusasi suburb.
Soon after those shootings, there were intense sporadic gunshots at various locations throughout the night, continuing into the morning of Monday, November 2, 2009.
It took the combined effort of the military and the police to bring the violence under control by 4 p.m. on Monday.