Mamprusis to rejoin inter-ethnic peace talks
Mamprusis have decided to rejoin deliberations by the Bawku Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee (IEPC) to speed up the peace process and find a lasting solution to the Bawku crisis.
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The move is in response to appeals made to them by President John Dramani Mahama to return to the negotiating table in the interest of peace, stability and development.
Briefing journalists in Accra yesterday, Dr Sam Bugri, the leader of the Mamprusis, said a year ago on February 4, 2014, they met with President John Dramani Mahama at the Flagstaff House to express their readiness to return to the committee.
Representatives of the Mamprusis withdrew from the Bawku Inter-ethnic Peace Committee in September, 2014 partly due to the inability of the Bawku Municipal Security Council to offer them the opportunity to celebrate the Damba Festival.
Withdrawal from IEPC
Dr Bugri said at the meeting with the President in February, 2014, they outlined the issues that informed their decision to withdraw from the IEPC and requested that some of them be addressed as a condition for them to return to the committee.
Some of the issues which were raised by the Mamprusis bordered on the celebration of the Damba Festival, denial of access to their farm lands, Bawku Naaba Adam Zangbeogo’s funeral and murders in Bawku, for which no arrest had been made.
Dr Bugri said since then the regional minister for the Upper East Region had been changed three times, and intimated that the development might have contributed to the slow progress made in addressing their concerns.
He, however, said that the recent partial lifting of the ban on men riding motorcycles in Bawku had given the hope that the situation would return to normalcy.
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Media Reportage
The Minister of the Interior, Mr Mark Woyongo, called on the media to be circumspect in their reportage of issues that were likely to disturb the peace of the nation.
Mr Woyongo said there was the need for all factions in the crisis, namely the Mamprusis, Kusasis and the minority tribes, to sit down and talk peace for the sake of posterity.
Background
The conflict between the Kusasis and Mamprusis began over the rightful custodians of the Bawku area.
The conflict often explodes into disagreements, and bloody confrontations between the two groups.
The first major conflict between the two ethnic groups erupted in 1983 during the Samanpiid Festival which is celebrated by the Kusasis to signify bumper harvest.
In 1984, the conflict broke out again, this time over the ownership of farmlands. Subsequent conflicts occurred in 1985 during the Samanpiid, 2000, during the general election, 2001 and 2007, also during the Samanpiid.