|
Without peace it would be foolish to
have elections in Bawku - Ndebugre
Accra, June 25, Ghanadot/GNA - Mr John
Ndebugre, Member of Parliament (MP) for Zebilla, on
Wednesday said until peace was restored to Bawku, it would
be "foolhardiness" to allow people in the area to take part
in Election 2008.
Describing the crisis in the area as a "law and order
issue", he said campaigning and elections were going to be
seriously affected by the breakdown of law in the area.
Mr Ndebugre was responding to questions from the
Parliamentary Press Corps after reading out a joint
statement by the five MPs in the Bawku area at a press
briefing at Parliament House.
He said the Vice Presidential candidate of the NDC, Mr Jonh
Mahama on his recent visit to the Upper East Region could
not take his campaign to the Bawku area because of the
conflict.
The conflict broke out late last year leading to the death
of many people including 11 people, who were killed last
Saturday.
Earlier, in the statement, put together by MPs from Zebilla,
Bawku Central, Binduri, Garu-Tempane and the Pusiga
constituencies, Mr Ndebugre recounted the latest outbreak of
violence this month in which a man was killed as he went to
seek his stray horse and the subsequent killing of women and
children, in what appeared to be a retaliatory attack by
persons dressed in military uniforms.
The statement said the situation had become a law and order
issue and condemned the use of military uniforms by
unauthorized persons for criminal purposes.
It called for a resolute action by the State and urged the
National Peace Council to find a lasting solution to the
crisis.
Meanwhile, Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor, Interior Minister, has told
Parliament that the National Peace Council was meeting with
Leader from Bawku to solve the crisis.
He was responding to a question on plans to set up early
warning systems at insecurity flash points in the country.
He said the Government had developed and adopted the
National Architect for Peace under which an Early Warning
and Analysis Centre was to be established at the Ministry of
The Interior.
""Mr Speaker, it is our expectation that by the end of the
year 2008, the Early Warning and Analysis Centre will be
fully operational generating qualitative analysis of threat
indicators and the passing on of information for timely
action by the relevant agencies," Dr Addo Kufuor said.
GNA
|
