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Regional News of Monday, 23 June 2003

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Tension Mounts Over Visit To Castle

Tension is mounting among Kokombas in the Northern Region over attempts to organize their chiefs and youth to Accra to thank the President for the appointment of two Kokombas as deputy Ministers. Some chiefs and youth have fiercely kicked against the attempts and have threatened to forcibly stop their chiefs from making the trip to Accra, which is being organized by some leaders from the region.

The situation is threatening to boil over, with sections of the chiefs and youth questioning the rationale behind the move when other ethnic groups with even more ministers have not done the same.

The two deputy Ministers are Charles Bintim, Deputy Northern Regional Minister and John Binam, deputy Minister for Employment. A leading Kokomba Chief who spoke to the Concord newspaper on phone from Tamale last week said since Ministers of State are appointed on the basis of merit and not what ethnic groups they belong to, they would not troop to Accra to thank the President on behalf of their two kinsmen.