Guns Missing In The North

Government Senior Minister, J.H. Mensah, has stated that the government has observed that arms used in the 1994 Kokomba-Nanumba war have not been fully recovered.

He therefore added that the capacity for a large-scale tragedy in the Yendi Conflict is possible, if the situation is not kept under control. Mr. Mensah said it was against this background that the President, in consultation with the Council of State and upon their advice, proclaimed the State of Emergency in Dagbon areas in the Northern Region.

Speaking at Parliament where it was decided that the State of Emergency be extended in the Dagbon Traditional Area for six more weeks, Mr. Mensah said subsequent to this, the security services have continued their build-up in men and material to be able to patrol and present a believable deterrent to prevent any faction or person from attempting any violence.

While expressing his heart-felt sympathies to bereaved families in the Yendi Conflict area, the Minority Parliamentary Leader, Hon. Alban Bagbin also sympathized with the NPP government for having to grapple with a number of grave tragedies within barely a year of assuming office. He noted that the Yendi conflict was a national crisis and should therefore not be politicized.

He also suggested that the three selected respected Chiefs tasked to find a lasting solution to the Yendi Conflict should not be placed at the forefront of the troubleshooting. The majority Parliamentary Leader, Hon. Paapa Owusu-Ankomah, thanked all parliamentarians especially the minority MPs for their support.

He noted that when it comes to nation building, especially in such trying moments, Parliament should be united. While consoling the bereaved family, Hon. Owusu-Ankomah, supported Mr. Bagbin's call for prayer to ensure divine intervention in this crisis.