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Chereponi, Ghana – The youth and people of Chereponi and executives of the Chereponi Youth for Peace (CYP) have called for peace and ceasefire between Konkombas and Chokosis.
A fortnight ago, a group calling itself the ‘Konkomba Youth Association’ called for the dismissal of the district chief executive for the area, indicating his involvement in the clashes.
These allegations, according to the executives of the CYP, are calculated attempts to tarnish the hard-won reputation of Mr Razak Tahidu and to make the Akufo-Addo-led government unpopular.
They said since assuming office as the District Chief Executive (DCE), Razak Tahidu has worked hard to improve and maintain peaceful co-existence amongst various tribes in the district.
Naduni community has had a long land dispute before Mr Razak assumed office.
As chairman of the District Security Council, Mr Razak has worked hand in hand with the various security agencies, chiefs, opinion leaders and elders in the district to bring lasting solutions to land disputes. Besides, he has fostered unity among them.
In his quest for lasting peace and security in the area, the DCE led the formation of ‘Peace and Mediation’ committee comprising chiefs from all major tribes in the Chereponi district as well as religious leaders and youth groups.
Information gathered by DAILY GUIDEindicates that some misunderstanding between the two tribes over the ownership of a parcel of land is the cause of the clashes.
The Konkomba-Chokosi clash, the first in the Naduni community, arose over a piece of land the Konkombas believed was theirs.
The dispute over the land has been settled by the traditional authority with the paramount chief of the area declaring Chokosis as the rightful owners of the land. However, the Konkombas rejected the ruling of the traditional authority and that of the paramount chief resulting in the clashes.
Several homes have been burnt with more than half of the population of the community, especially women and children, fleeing for their lives.
Sources close to DAILY GUIDE indicate that the fighting broke out when the Anufors reported attempts by the Konkomba’s to stop them from using the piece of land given them by the traditional authority.
The paramount chief of Konkomba (chief of Yakanzia) took the responsibility to visit the Naduni community to inspect the said disputed land and subsequently gave the approval for the Anufors to use their land after confiding in his people to know the true owners.
A popular ring leader from the Konkomba’s at Naduni community by name Nkache Morkola also visited the house of the Anufors to assure them of peace, urging them to go ahead to plough the land.
However, an attempt by an Anufor man to farm on the said piece of land attracted the provocation of a Konkomba man who apparently did not agree and accept the verdict of the paramount chief in respect of the ownership and usage of the land which subsequently resulted in the clashes.
The DCE and the district assembly of Chereponi are working through the NADMO department to bring some relief to affected families in Naduni and its environs.
The Youth
According to the Chereponi Youth Association, the two tribes have co-existed peacefully for several centuries. Hence, they consider the clashes as unfortunate and must be quickly settled to avoid ethnic conflicts.
They therefore called on the Konkomba Youth Association to impress on their members to join the peace crusade and stay away from comments that would muddy the efforts made to restore peace and security in the area.
‘The CYP stands for peace and invites any entity that would work to ensure we have a lasting peace in the district in particular and Ghana at large’ they said.
They also appealed to the Ministries of the Interior and Defence to grant bail to the 18 Anufors detained in police custody at Yendi for the past two weeks.
The CYP entreated the President and Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces to ensure security in the area through the various security agencies so that lasting peace can be restored in the area.
Source: daily guide
