A five member committee chaired by a former Inspector General of Police, Patrick Acheampong has been inaugurated to look into the immediate and remote causes of the recent communal clashes in the communities in the Chereponi and Saboba districts of the Northern Region.
The Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery who inaugurated the committee also tasked it to delve into matters incidental to the conflict and to make recommendations for lasting peace in the area.
The committee was inaugurated during a peace summit in Tamale on Thursday 10, 2019.
The Peace Summit was facilitated by the Northern Regional Security Council chaired by the Northern region minister, Salifu Sae-ed at the behest of the Office of the President.
The summit was aimed at bring influential persons, state actors and leaderships of the Konkombas and Chokosis to deliberate and chart a new path towards resolving the ethnic violence between the two groups.
The Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, said government is committed at ensuring that peace and unity prevailed in the Chereponi and Saboba as well as in all corners of the country. The demand by the two groups to get to the root cause of the violence and subsequent resolution has compelled the leadership to put in place a committee to look into the matter.
Mr. Dery said NADMO has been directed to immediately go the Chereponi and Saboba to assess the extent of damage and submit its report to government to help ameliorate the situation.
He urged both parties to use dialogue to fashion out whatever difference they may have.
The Chairman of the Northern Region Peace Council, Most Rev. Philip Naame entreated the youth of the area and the region at large to eschew violence.
He identified the use of social media as a major threat to peace in the area and cautioned the youth against perpetrating falsehood through social media.
The committee has up to February 12 the to submit it report.
The Chief of Saboba and Chereponi took turns to address the gathering and called for an end to the conflict.
They also appealed to authorities to identify the root cause of the matter and bring anyone found culpable to justice.
Report by Joyce Kantam Kolamong and Murtala Issah
