When two ethnic groups are sparring against the
backdrop of an attempted movement of 59 assault firearms to their part of the
country, it would not be long before clashes occur.
Although the 59 firearms possibly AK 47s
destined for the North to the land constituting the bone of contention between
the Mamprusis and Gonjas were stopped having been confiscated by state agents
in Accra, the danger signals are too glaring to be ignored.
Our editorial is hinged on one of the stories in
this edition-Gonja/Mamprusi War Looms- which for us is dangerous.
We have enough experience of the fallouts from
ethnic clashes to ignore the danger signals being emitted from our compatriots
up North.
With one of the ethnic groups announcing their
readiness to fight on land, White Volta and air whatever that means, there is
no doubt that the national security apparatus has a full plate.
The issue of the demarcation of boundaries
between the two ethnic groups is the origin of the dispute. One of the chiefs
has called on government to quickly intervene with an acceptable demarcation so
that peace would prevail.
The direct consequence of this is the denial of
recognition to the chiefs already enskinned by the other. From the look of
things, it would not be long before we report clashes between the youths of the
two tribes who have already started sparring.
If so many assault rifles were intercepted and
seized, only heavens know how many others passed through the net unnoticed.
There is a deep-seated antagonism between
members of the two ethnic groups which must be resolved now before things boil
over. We cannot assume that all is well and allow the sparring to continue.
There have been one too many of ethnic clashes especially in
the North, the bitter taste of which is still on our tongues‒ the Chokosi and Konkonba
engagement readily come to mind.
The many lofty projects such as the dams,
factories and others being rolled out would be negatively impacted if we fold
our arms and allow issues which can be addressed now to aggravate to notches
which would trigger bloodshed.
Developmental projects should be our primary
obsession and not how to save money to acquire assault weapons to kill
ourselves.
The Overlords of the two main ethnic groups
should be engaged to intervene as significant support to the ones from central
government to address the burgeoning bloodshed.
We dread a situation where soldiers and police
officers would be deployed after fatalities have occurred; economic activities
should neither be stalled nor schools shut down because of such avoidable
clashes. The cost of deploying security personnel to scenes of clashes is
enormous and beyond imagination. The state has financial obligations for the Free
SHS project, infrastructural deficit and remunerations to manage, not, of course,
avoidable clashes.
We ask that the demarcation of the boundaries,
which one of the chiefs has demanded of government, be undertaken now as a
matter of urgency.
The police too should be on top of intelligence
gathering in the flashpoint, which is what the two ethnic groups are disagreeing
over.
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