Alavanyo, Nkonya youth work for peace

Alavanyo/Nkonya, May 30, GNA-The euphoria of a new era of peaceful co-existence between the people of Alavanyo and Nkonya was manifested on Tuesday, when several hundreds of youth groups from the two sides jointly undertook the weeding of a three-kilometre road between Alavanyo-Kpeme and Nkonya-Ntchumuru to symbolically usher in the end of hostilities.

The beauty of the exercise was that, the Alavanyo youth, who cleared the right side of the road ended up at Nkonya-Ntchumuru, with their counterparts from Nkonya clearing the opposite side and terminating it at Alavanyo-Kpeme amidst singing and dancing.

The two traditional areas have been embroiled in an 81-year-old protracted land conflict, which had claimed many lives and property in the ensuing skirmishes, rendering the road unsafe for fear of attacks in recent time.

A cross-section of the youth, interviewed by the Ghana News Agency were optimistic that true peace had been attained and prayed for its consolidation for development and investment, which was almost eluding the area.

They said the peace initiative would open up the area to trade and commerce, exploration of tourism potentials to the fullest and the activities of Non-governmental organization bouncing back, reinstating the area to its former socio-economic glory. The youth said the re-opening of the link road would boost enrolment to the Nkonya Secondary School, which hitherto had witnessed poor enrolment resulting from the conflict.

Togbega Atakora Tsedze VII, Paramount Chief of Alavanyo and Nana Okoto Kofi III, Paramount Chief Of Nkonya, separately re-affirmed their corporate conviction to total peace, pledging that the level of co-existence between them would be further strengthened. They said guns and the Courts failed to provide them with the requisite lasting peace, which dialogue had achieved and hoped that both sides would never engage resort to violent hostilities.

The Traditional leaders re-assured their people that any attempt by an individual or groups to derail the peace process would be met with spontaneous rebuttal.

Bishop Francis A. Lodonu, Bishop of the Ho-Diocese of the Catholic Church was dumfounded by the expression of love and joy displayed by the teeming youth saying, "It was an act of God".

He commended Mr. Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa, former Volta Regional Minister for his vision in instituting the Mediation Committee, which had yielded the desired results and the West African Network for Peace for their resourcefulness in the area.

Bishop Lodonu praised the Catholic Relief Services, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, for their collective efforts and contributions towards the peace processes.

The Hohoe and Jasikan Districts Assemblies have collectively contributed about one billion cedis towards the maintenance of peace alone in the area, upholding security, fuel and ration supply and other interventions, which could gone into developing the area. Mr Solomon Kwame Donkor, Jasikan Chief Executive expressed appreciation that the people had realized that development could not thrive in conflict situation, saying the peace move was a big relief for the Assembly.

He said, "for ascribing to the peace processes, the government's intervention was to tar the 22-kilometre stretch of road from Wegbe to Nkonya-Ntchumuru for a start, with the next line of action to be communicated to the communities later."

Mr John-Peter Amewu, Hohoe Chief Executive said the two districts are collaborating to devise strategies of concretising the peace initiatives between them and pool resources towards achieving that.

A landmark ceremony would be held on Wednesday, May 31, this year, to herald the official resumption of good neighbourliness and peaceful co-existence, amidst the swearing of oath to re-affirm true peace and reconciliation, revocation of rites including never engaging each other in war again.

A seven-member Mediation Committee of eminent citizens of the region including Bishop Lodonu and Rt. Rev. Dr Livingstone Buama, Moderator, E. P. Church, Ghana and a 10-member Joint Consultative Committee facilitated the peace process under the auspices of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC).