Workshop discusses strategies to defuse tension in Bawku
A day’s orientation workshop for the promotion of peace before, during and after the November polls has been held in Bawku in the Upper East Region.
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The workshop brought together political parties, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, security personnel, assembly members and identifiable groups to adopt strategies to defuse tension in the run-up to the general election, in an area that has experienced protracted chieftaincy and ethnic conflicts over the years.
It was organised by the Belim Wusa Development Agency (BEWDA), a non-governmental organisation, in collaboration with STAR Ghana, on the theme: "Securing peace in the Bawku Traditional Area before, during and after the 2016 elections."
Youth
The Bawku Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Issahaku Bukari, in an address, cautioned the youth and other stakeholders against engaging in acts that would breach the peace in the area, particularly during the November polls.
"As we are going into another election, it is incumbent on the youth to avoid acts that will plunge Bawku into renewed conflict," he stressed.
He noted that although some skeptics predicted that there would be renewed conflicts during the 2012 general election, that did not happen because "Bawku proved them wrong and so the perception that the area is a violent community should be erased totally."
Recovering
Mr Bukari observed that Bawku had recovered from the protracted conflict as businesses had picked up, and that nobody should dare do anything untoward, particularly during the November polls, to plunge the area into another conflicts.
The Programmes Manager of BEWDA, Mr Shaibu Abubakar, observed that tensions usually heightened in Bawku in the build-up to elections due to the conflicts that had been somewhat linked to partisan politics, and it had as such that reason that his organisation decided to develop the peace building project in order to improve on the cordial relationship among the people of Bawku, particularly the two feuding factions who are mainly the Kussasis and the Mamprusis.
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Mr Abubakar expressed optimism that the peace building efforts would help to ensure a violence free and credible Election 2016.
He, therefore, entreated religious leaders and traditional rulers to continue preaching peace in order to prevent violence during the November polls.
Limited registration
The Assembly member for the North Nantenga Electoral Area, Mr Iddrisu Bawa, pointed out the need for the leadership of both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to talk to the rank and file of their parties to avoid the registration of minors during the forthcoming limited voter registration exercise.
According to him, that measure would ensure that the political temperature of the Bawku area was not raised, even before the November polls.
"Bawku is really a peaceful community, but the only issue that may disturb the peace is the potential move by politicians to allow minors to register during the limited voters registration exercise. In fact, the Electoral Commission should put in stringent mechanisms to deal effectively with such issues during the exercise," Mr Bawa further stressed.