Chiefs in Bawku Municipality urged to welcome returnees

Pusiga (UER), Jan. 5, GNA- Chiefs in the Bawku Municipality,

were on Friday asked to allow people who fled the area during

the recent conflict there to return to their homes in peace. Mr. Alhassan Samari Upper East Regional Minister, made the

call when he visited Pusiga, Garu, Tempane and Zabgu all

towns in the area, and met with the chiefs of the communities. He noted that Kusasis and Manprusis, the two ethnic

groups, involved in the conflict, had co-existed for a long time,

intermarrying, supporting each other in times of need and

benefited in many other ways from each other, and these

situation should be sustained. Mr Samari said the conflict would only affect development

and bring misery and hardship to the people, and appealed to

the chiefs and elders to use their authority and power to restore

peace to the area. He urged the traditional authorities to educated and

convince the youth that the conflict would not bring any good

thing but retard development in the area. Mr Samari advised the people to apply dialogue and

tolerance in solving their problems. The Regional Minister was accompanied by the Regional

Police Commander, Mr. Ofosu-Mensah Gyeabour, Lieutenant

Colonel Irvine Aryeetey, Northern Regional Command of the

Ghana Air Forces and Mr. Simon Akunye, Member of Parliament

(MP) for Pusiga. Mr. Gyeabour urged the Chiefs and people to cooperate

with security personnel deplored to the area to maintain peace. He advised the youth to stop erecting road blocks and

warned that any one caught in the practice would be punished

according to the law. The MP advised the youth not to allow themselves to be

used by politicians and Opinion leaders to foment conflict for

their own personal gains. Naba Akpaka Ibrahim Ayumah, Chief of Pusiga, called on

persons who sought refuge during the conflict to return to their

homes, saying that Pusiga was opened to all.