President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said it is not normal for the police and military to be stationed in the Northern Region because of conflict and has, therefore, charged Northern regional Minister-designate Salifu Saeed to work to restore peace in the region.

There has been a long-standing chieftaincy conflict at Yendi in the Northern Region. On Friday January 20, police and military presence was beefed up in the Tatale Sanguli district of the region over possible ethic conflict between the Basare and the Konkomba.

Announcing Mr Saeed as the minister designate for the region, Mr Akufo-Addo said: “We are hoping that in the course of this administration, some of the intractable issues there, especially the long-standing dispute in Yendi, we are going to find a way under his leadership to bring that to a closure.”

Mr Akufo-Addo noted that Mr Saeed’s appointment was very important for the peace and stability of the region and expressed confidence in his abilities to work to restore peace in the region.

“Up till today when you go to Yendi, there are police and military installations there. It’s not normal and all of us should do our best and work towards resolving that issue and other simmering chieftaincy disputes in the Northern Region. I believe we have somebody who has the necessary sensitivity and the contacts on the ground who will help us resolve that and the other issues there are in the Northern Region. So I’m very optimistic that Salifu Saeed’s tenure as Regional Minister will be a successful one and we‘ll all benefit from his dynamism, energy, and his sensitivity,” he stated.