Tension mounts between two towns in Brong Ahafo

Sunyani (B/A), July 11, GNA - Tension is mounting between traditional areas of Drobo and Japekrom in the Jaman District of Brong Ahafo and the government has been called upon to help diffuse it. The Japekrom Traditional Council, Youth Associations and Women's groups made the call in a statement signed by Nana Ampaabeng Kyeremeh II, acting President of the Mpuasu/Japekrom Traditional Council and distributed to the press.

The two towns engaged in a confrontation three years ago in which guns were used over a long-standing land dispute during which lives were lost and property worth millions of cedis destroyed. The statement said the current tension is over the ownership of the land earmarked for a proposed construction of access roads in Drobo and which the people of Japekrom claim does not belong to the people of Drobo.

The statement said following the clash in 2000, a special committee was set up to investigate the matter "but up till now the committee has not come out with its report."

" This is bringing discord between the two factions as farmers complain of the forcible seizure of their farmlands by the chief and people of Drobo.

The statement said over the years the Japekrom stool had granted portions of its lands for projects at New Drobo including the courthouse, Chief's Palace, New Drobo Secondary School, St. Martin's Hospital, District Assembly Offices, DCE's bungalow, and agriculture extension offices.

It alleged that the problem over the true ownership of the land was recently came up for discussions when it came to light that government wanted to construct the access roads despite the land suit between the paramount stools of Japekrom and Drobo before the Court of Appeal in Accra.

The statement called on the Court of Appeal to speed up the determination of the land ownership and that the title of the land for the proposed access roads must be ascertained "if it is the state that is undertaking the project".

It said adequate compensation must also be paid to the people currently in possession and occupation of the land before their crops could be destroyed or property taken from them.

The statement cautioned politicians and members of the Executive "to desist from showing open bias against the parties claiming ownership of the land, since any attempt to play politics with the Japekrom-Drobo land matter, would not augur well for anybody as ethnic clashes, loss of lives and property can be anybody's guess."