Upper East Regional Minister Admonishes Feuding Factions

Mr Rockson Ayine Bukari, the Upper East Regional Minister, has admonished the feuding factions of the Bolgatanga chieftaincy dispute to stay away from violence.

The Regional Minister made the admonishment when he visited the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital where some people were on admission after a chieftaincy clash last Saturday night.

He said poverty, illiteracy, diseases, ignorance among others were the enemy of the Region and called on the two factions to bury their differences to pave the way for development.

“No investor will like to invest in the midst of conflicts and we must all take a cue from what conflicts have done to other parts of the country and unite together to help accelerate the development of the (Bolgatanga)Municipality and the Region as whole,” he said.

The Regional Minister who is the Regional Chairman of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), also led the members of the Council to the conflict area to assess the extent of damage caused by the violence.

Prior to the visit to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, Members of the REGSEC held a –four- hour close- door meeting on matters relating to the security situation in the Municipality and its environs.

In an interview with the GNA, the Regional Police Commander, DCOP Vincent Redeemer Dedjoe, gave the assurance that adequate security was in place to ensure peace and order.

He said no arrest had been made so far but the security was working hard to ensure that the perpetrators were identified and picked up.

On the night of May 14 two persons were reported dead, whilst others sustain various injuries following renewed chieftaincy clashes over Atulibabisi, a suburb of the Municipality.

It was not clear what might have caused the clash, however reports say confusion broke out on a funeral ground among the two royal families, which led to the burning of two houses belonging to the two factions in the Bolgatanga chieftaincy dispute, Naba Raymond Alafia Abilba II, and Naba Joseph Abeka Nonge-Buuri.

The night was characterised by sporadic gun shots, pelting of stones as machete wielding men were seen patrolling the streets.

These compelled people to flee to seek shelter elsewhere.

The area is presently calm as there is heavy presence of security personnel