Women appeal for lasting peace in Nkwanta
A group of women in the Nkwanta-South Municipality in the Oti Region have called on the government to immediately destool any of the three Paramount Chiefs who would be found guilty of causing trouble to spark the prolonged conflict in the area.
They are of the view that the three tribes, namely Adele, Akyode and Challa, know their boundaries in the area and as such have their right to exist.
Speaking at a press conference at Nkwanta, the Paramount Queenmother of the Adele Traditional Council, Nanahemaa Darkoa Asante II, said as women, they bore the brunt of the conflict in the area and were appealing to the government to bring it to an end.
The press conference was attended by all the queenmothers in the area and a lot of women, all clad in red, who interspersed the reading of the message with shouts of “peace” amidst claps.
“Get the three Paramount Chiefs of Adele, Akyode and Challa to bond themselves and to agree that should there be any attack from any of them, that chief would be destooled. This, we believe, will help our men to work on their farms,” she said.
She suggested that the government should also review the curfew hours imposed on them from 8.00 pm to 6.00 am to 10.00 pm to 4.00 am to allow the markets to be revived.
Escalating conflict
Nanahemaa Darkoa Asante II said the escalation of the conflict three years ago, leading to the recent uprising on January 15, has threatened the peace, safety and prosperity of the citizens, as well as hindered the development of the area.
She lamented that life had been brought to a virtual standstill, with school children unable to go to school. She said as a result of these challenges, the women have found it necessary to come out and raise their voices to the government to act swiftly, as families were breaking down.
“Our husbands, who are mainly farmers, cannot go to their farms to bring food and feed their families and we cannot also go about our various trading activities to cater for our homes,” she said.
