V/R Parliamentary Caucus visits Nkonya-Alavanyo areas
The protracted conflict between the people of Alavanyo and Nkonya traditional areas in the Volta Region has been attributed to illegal lumbering on the disputed land and not a land dispute as had all the time been peddled around.
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The boundary on the disputed land has already been settled by the courts and the people in the two traditional areas are abiding by the ruling.
This revelation was made by Nana Ampem Darkoh III, Chief of Nkonya Ahodwo, when the Volta Regional Parliamentary Caucus visited Nkonya Ahenkro on Thursday.
The visit was to commend the chiefs and people of the traditional area for the calm that had existed since their presidential summons to Accra in the wake of the renewed Nkonya-Alavanyo clashes.
The President summoned the two traditional leaders to the Flagstaff House in Accra to a three-day crunch meeting to iron out their differences. Since then, there has not been any renewed clash between them.
During the summons on June 26, the two chiefs signed a peace declaration to end the protracted conflict which had claimed many lives and destroyed property on both sides.
Nana Ampem Darkoh claimed that the killings were perpetrated by the lumber poachers to scare people away when engaging in their nefarious activities, adding that, "none of the killings had occurred on the disputed land".
The chief, who broke down in tears intermittently, lamented that they were one people through inter-marriages and it was a pity that they would be killing each other without cause.
This pleased the caucus, led by Mr Joseph Amenowode, Member of Parliament for Hohoe South Constituency, who thanked them for heeding the President's call for peace in the area. The caucus was happy that the two factions had agreed for a new mediation committee to go into the matter with the view to bringing lasting peace.
Mr Amenowode consoled Nana Ampem Darkoh and reminded him that they were not a fact-finding committee but were only there to congratulate them on maintaining calm throughout the period.
At Alavanyo, Togbe Tsedze Attakora VII, Paramount Chief of the area, appealed for the removal of the curfew since they had remained calm so far. Togbe Attakora thanked them for coming and promised on behalf of his people to ensure that peace remained.
The caucus presented a set of jerseys to the youth of the two traditional areas for the formation of a football club to be known as Alankos United to sustain the peace process and promised to present some footballs to them later.
In attendance were Mr Francis Ganyaglo, Deputy Volta Regional Minister; Dr Margaret Kweku, Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive and other officials.
By Emmanuel Mordey/Ghana