One dead in renewed Konkomba, Chokosi conflict cordinating Director sustains injuries

One person is reported dead, while the Chereponi District Coordinating Director, Alhaji Alhassan Fuseini, also sustained gun shot wounds after he was attacked and his official vehicle set ablaze yesterday afternoon.

The deceased is yet to be identified. However, Alhaji Fuseini, who was attacked at Garinkuka, a community in the area, is said to be on admission at the Chereponi hospital.

There appears to be no end in sight to the protracted conflict between the Konkombas and the Chokosis in the Chereponi District in the North East Region.

As at the time of going to press yesterday, there were reports of further disturbances between the two ethnic groups in the area which could result in more casualties.

Earlier yesterday morning, two more communities,Tosunga and Gbalo, were burnt down in the renewed violence, bringing the number of villages that had been torched since last Sunday to three.

Despite a heavy security presence in the area, tension is said to be rising, and for fear of reprisal attacks, many people, including women and children, are fleeing to neighbouring  communities.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Northern Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Mohammed Yusif Tanko, has, however, stated that more men have been deployed to the conflict zone to maintain law and order, as efforts are made to find a lasting solution to the recurring disturbances.

Arrest

According to Mr Tanko, so far five persons had been arrested for their alleged roles in the latest communal clashes.

He said while three of them were picked up last Saturday, the rest were arrested the next day.

Twenty-four cartridges were retrieved from the suspects at Tambo, while two single-barrelled guns and 49 cartridges were recovered from those arrested at Bonbaba.

The suspects are currently in police custody, assisting in investigations.  

Suggestion

Meanwhile, the Regent of Chereponi, Jaminja Ndakar, has suggested that one of the ways to bring an end to the skirmishes is for the government to make the report of a fact-finding committee on the conflict public.

The report, he said, would not  only reveal the causes of the conflict but also make recommendations on how to resolve it.

The regent, who made this known in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said the Chereponi Traditional Council was ready to abide by the recommendations in the report.

Committee

Following the outbreak of the communal violence between the two ethnic groups, the government set up a five-member fact-finding committee chaired by a former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong.

The committee, which was charged to investigate the remote causes of the recurring conflict and recommend solutions, has since submitted its report to the Minister of the Interior.