Interior Minister condemns violence at Tamale
Abdul Salam Sule, Ghanadot

Accra, Feb 19, Ghanadot - The Interior Minister, Hon Cletus Avoka, has condemned the clashes between supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Tamale, saying that his outfit is monitoring the mounting tension in the city.

According to the newly sworn in Interior Minister, violence is not a means to solving pProblems and the feuding factions should use due process to settle their differences.

“You can never use violence to achieve your ambition or to achieve what you want; at the end of the day, there are no winners and there are no losers,” he told reporters in Accra.

On Monday February 16 2009, violence erupted in the Tamale Metropolis between the supporters of the ruling NDC and the opposition NPP.

Clashes between the two rival parties in the northern region have been characterised by the use of sophisticated weapons by either side and the recent clash was no exception.

The latest incident left one person dead while seven others sustained various degrees of injury. There have been nine arrests so far.

Mr. Avoka said combined police and military patrol teams have been deployed to the area to restore calm.

He assured that, in restoring peace to the area, the combined military and patrol team would retrieve all illegal guns which is in possession of some of the residents in the metropolis.

Mr. Avoka has therefore called on the feudal parties to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies to provide lasting peace in the area.

Information reaching ghanadot from Tamale indicates that, the metropolis has been deserted after the clash on Monday and many houses have been razed down.

Ghanadot