A Konkomba Ethnic group calling itself Movement for Nkpakpaando (MOFN) is calling for a cease-fire among residents in Cheriponi District of the Northern Region in the ongoing tribal violence between Konkombas and Chokosis that has left many properties destroyed.
According to the group in a statement copied by Awake News, “they have not been happy ever since that misunderstanding ensued between some residents of some communities in the Cheriponi District” saying ” communal violence in this 21st century is uncalled for and should not be mentioned among us.”
The group said, it is rather unfortunate the issue that was supposed to be between some communities is now made an ethnic issue, a development that escalates the issue to other towns.
“Konkomba and Anufus are one people with a common destiny and related through intermarriages, they have lived and co-existed peacefully for decades now and so the troublemakers should not mar these warm relationships” – MOFN said in the statement
Mr. Justice Njonam Sibdow, the President of the group, is therefore calling on the security agencies to deal with issues in a professional manner and to avoid being lenient with the culprits of these heinous acts.
Mr. Sibdow is urging the two ethnic group to unify to fight a common enemy ( poverty) rather than fighting each other.
“We do not want to prejudice the issue and would like all Ghanaians especially the Anufu and Konkombas to see each other as one people with a common destiny whose major fight should be against poverty”
Mr. Sibdow expresses utmost disappointment at how the Anufu ethnic group’s leaders are linking the conflict to the Defense Minister, Dominic Nitiwul because he is a Konkomba. Adding that, that assertion is wrong.
“We want to also ask the Anufu leaders to disassociate the issue from our honorable Minister of Defense Hon. Dominic Nitiwul. He has no hand in whatever happens in Cheriponi. They should never make such assertions that, because he belongs to the Konkomba ethnic group, he is linked to the issue. They should desist from those claims.”
They also call on the DCE for Cheriponi to be neutral in his media utterances on this issue. And not be seen to bend on his ethnic interest to castigate only Konkomba for wrong doing. Adding that such acts would not bring peace but escalate the issue.
Police say over 150 houses, about 14 motorbikes, 4 corn mills, 17 bicycles, a tractor machine and large quantity of foodstuffs are damaged completely in the ongoing conflagration.
Source: AwakeNewsOnline.com | Efo Korsi Senyo | senyo@awakeafrica.com
