34 Houses torched in Lukula
Thirty-four houses were torched in renewed attacks in the communal violence that broke out in Lukula, a farming community in the North Gonja District in the Savannah Region.
Six of the houses were torched last Saturday morning while 28 were set ablaze in the night of the same day, in spite of the presence of a combined police and military force that was deployed to the area last Friday to maintain law and order.
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The fight erupted last Thursday between two groups in the community over the siting of a mosque.
Death toll
Two persons have so far been confirmed dead in the disturbances and several others injured.
An Aide to the Savannah Regional Minister and Public Relations Officer of the Gonjaland Youth Association (GYA), Mr Habib Muftaw, who confirmed the latest attacks in the community to the Daily Graphic, said calm had been restored following intensified patrols by the police and military personnel deployed to the area.
He said some residents who fled the town for fear of being attacked were returning home.
As at the time of filing this report yesterday morning, Mr Muftaw informed the Daily Graphic that he was on his way from the community.
He explained that the incidents of house burning took place soon after the Savannah Regional Minister, Mr Salifu Adam Braimah, and members of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) left the area after installing the combined team of police and military personnel to maintain law and order.
"The Savannah Regional minister, who is also chairman of the REGSEC, was in the area last Friday morning, a day after the fighting broke out and was there again on Saturday morning, but left before the houses were torched early morning on Saturday and then again at night,” he said.
Visit by REGSEC
Following a subsequent visit by the REGSEC, the Savannah Regional minister has appealed to the opposing groups to halt hostilities and allow peace to prevail.
Meanwhile, tension is said to be still high as the two feuding factions are said to be engaged in reprisal attacks.
Some sources in the community, who did not want to be identified, told the Daily Graphic that the two groups in the dispute were divided over the site chosen to construct a mosque for the Lukula community.
One group, which wants to belong to the North East Region, is opposed to the siting of the mosque in Lukula, while the other group, which wants to remain in the Savannah Region, is pushing for the mosque to be built in the community.
Background
Even before the Savannah and North East regions were carved out of the Northern Region, there were people in the Lukula community, which is in the North Gonja District, who wanted the community to belong to the North East Region, despite the fact that the area fell within the Savannah Region.
The areas that constitute the Savannah Region are North Gonja, West Gonja, Central Gonja, North East Gonja, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba and Bole districts, as well as the East Gonja municipality.
The North Gonja District in the Savannah Region shares boundary with the Mamprugu Moaduri District in the North East Region, which is where a faction would have wanted to belong.
The areas that form the North East Region are West Mamprusi and East Mamprusi municipalities and the Bunkpurugu-Nankpaduri, Yunyon and Chereponi districts.
Police
According to the police, fighting between the two groups broke out on Thursday night over the siting of a mosque in Lukula, leading to the death of two persons.
The police, however, did not give the names and identities of the two persons confirmed to have died in the conflict but said the situation had been brought under control and investigations were underway to bring the perpetrators to book.
