General News of Tuesday, 2 September 2008

Source: Various

Campaign Violence: 6 die

At least six people have been killed in northern Ghana in pre-election violence which followed a weekend campaign rally.
Police picked up the bodies of six people, among them opposition activists, following a wave of arson attacks suspected to have been carried out by supporters of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) across Gushiegu town yesterday, Accra-based radio station, Joy-FM said.
Residents said 19 houses, three of them belonging to opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) regional chairman Mahama Jeboni, six cars, and an NDC office were torched.
“All our houses have been burnt, all our resources... have been destroyed,” Sayakulu Jeboni, daughter of the northern region opposition NDC official, said.

At least six killed in political violence in Ghana: report

ACCRA (AFP) — At least six people have been killed in northern Ghana in pre-election violence which followed a weekend campaign rally, a local private radio station said on Tuesday, quoting police sources.
Police picked up the bodies of six people, among them opposition activists, following a wave of arson attacks suspected to have been carried out by supporters of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) across Gushiegu town on Monday, Joy-FM said.
Residents said 19 houses, three of them belonging to opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) regional chairman Mahama Jeboni, six cars, and an NDC office were torched.
"All our houses have been burnt, all our resources... have been destroyed," Sayakulu Jeboni, daughter of the northern region opposition NDC official, said.
"If government does not intervene, there will be war in Gushiegu," she told the radio station.
Trouble started on Sunday when shots were fired during a campaign tour of the region by the ruling NPP's vice presidential candidate, Mahamudu Bawumia, who hails from the area. The next day suspected ruling party activists rampaged across the town.
There was no immediate independent confirmation of the clashes.
Police have imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the town, about 900 kilometres (558 miles) north of the capital Accra.
Ghana, praised as one of Africa's democracy success stories, goes to the polls on December 7 to elect a new president and lawmakers.