Tema, April 11, GNA - Factions in conflicts in Bawku and other areas in the Northern part of Ghana have been asked to bury their differences and ensure peace and unity for national development. Mr. Kwabena Osei-Bonsu, Executive Director of Kick Malaria Out of Africa, a non-governmental organization (NGO), fighting malaria and ensuring peace, who made the call, reminded the people that peace and unity were the prerequisite for development. He was speaking at the launch of the NGO's 2009 Peace Building and Tree-planting Campaign at Ashiaman, near Tema on Saturday. The campaign being led by Madam Janet Offei, mother of Black Stars player, Eric Bekoe, has already taken the NGO to Nima, Mamobi and Ashiaman in the Greater Accra Region and some communities in the Ashanti and Eastern Regions.

Mr. Osei Bonsu said last year, the NGO planted more than 20 million tree seedlings to support aforestation programme and expressed the hope that the number would be doubled this year. He called on the youth of the communities to support the exercise, which he said would empower them economically and help eradicate poverty. Mr. Karim Iddrissu, a citizen of Bawku residing at Ashiaman, through GNA appealed to the chiefs and people in conflict areas in the North to use dialogue to solve their differences instead of resorting to violence that retarded progress.

He noted that there could be socio-economic development only in a state of peace and said the mobilization of people for tree planting exercise could serve as source of unity among them. 11 April 09