Government to take over Nkonya, Alavanyo lands — Nitiwul
The government is in the process of acquiring the disputed land at Alavanyo and Nkonya in the Volta Region for the purpose of turning it into a military training camp.
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The Minister of Defence, Mr Dominic Nitiwul, said the process, which was begun by the previous government, was to ensure a huge presence of the military in the area as a means of promoting peace and interaction between the two parties.
Mr Nitiwul was contributing to comments on the need for peace in Alavanyo and Nkonya in Parliament yesterday.
The comments by the legislators followed a joint statement made on the floor of Parliament by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hohoe, Dr Bernice Adiku Heloo, and the MP for Biakoye, Mr Nyanpon Aboagye, on the conflict.
The Defence Minister said the government would continue with all the arrangements started by the previous government to restore peace in the area and that it would also continue to maintain a military presence in the area.
He said the conflict had lingered on for decades and this time round "the government will do everything to ensure that it is resolved".
He, however, stressed that it was the chiefs and the people themselves who could bring about lasting peace in the area.
Statements
The MPs called on the chiefs and the people of Alavanyo and Nkonya to end the protracted conflict between them to restore peace and development in the area.
They said any move by the government to end the conflict would not yield any results if the two factions did not show a commitment to peace.
Reading the statement, Mrs Heloo said the conflict, which started in 1923, continued to linger on, with its consequent loss of lives, injury to people and effect on socio-economic activities.
She said the cost of maintaining relative peace in the area by keeping both a military and a police presence was rather high.
"The Alavanyo-Nkonya conflict, which has claimed many lives on both sides, has lasted for so long and continues to take a toll on both government revenue and development in the area," she said.
The MP expressed pain over the recent killings in the area and appealed to those planning retaliation to think of the devastating effects their actions might have on the community.
She urged the parties in the conflict to give peace a chance and particularly asked "people standing in the way of peace to place the general interest of the people and Ghana above their parochial interests and give way for a lasting peace".
Mrs Heloo suggested that the disputed area be turned into an industrial complex to avert further clashes.
The MP for Krachi West, Ms Ellen Adjoa Ntoso, said several peace accords had been signed by the chiefs and people but they had not yielded any results.
She said there were some shadow actors who were fueling the conflict for their selfish gain..