Tamale potential recipe for rebel movement

The Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), on Saturday appealed to the government to be circumspect and critical on the Dagbon crisis "as it is a potential recipe for initiation of rebel movement in the country."

"The Northern part of the country is now the most volatile and has the potential of destabilising the whole country if government fails to apply the necessary mechanism in conflict management and prevention," Mr Dan Lartey GCPP Leader told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra on the recent Tamale political clashes.

Mr Lartey said the inability of the security forces to control what started as political clashes by some disgruntled butchers and political party supporters could serve as a catalyst for rebel movement.

He said: 'the political antagonism between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is sparking serious conflicts, deepening communal enmity and widening the scale of tribalism'.

The GCPP Leader noted that the history of rebel movement across the continent should guide the government, security forces, political party leaders and the media about the dangers of the conflicts in the North.

He said timely intervention in any conflict situation and government's assurance of giving the protagonist a fair and speedy justice could prevent a humanitarian disaster, "as the cost of intervention are fairly low in terms of human, financial and material resources when the situation is relatively fluid."

Mr Lartey appealed to the government, politicians and other interest groups in the area to show magnanimity, and maturity to prevent an escalation of conflicts, which this country cannot afford.

"It is the President and his government's responsibility to ensure peace and security of all citizens irrespective of political, tribal, religious and any other persuasions."

Mr Lartey who is aspiring to be a flagbearer of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) in the 2004 elections appealed to the security forces to exercise the greatest military professionalism and abide by international conventions on handling of combatants.

"Military brutalities could send the signals to guys and force them into the bush for a warfare."

He, therefore, condemned media reports of alleged brutalities against those arrested. Their human rights must be respected even in conflict situation, he said.

The use of torture and other forms of inhuman treatment to extract truth from suspects is wrong and must be condemned, Mr Lartey emphasised.

The Ghanaian Times on Friday, April 25, 2003 reported that about 90 suspects arrested were subjected to severe punishment by the military at the barracks, "they were made to lie on their backs, on the hot ground and face the scorching sun and given severe lashes.