General News of Monday, 22 August 2016

Source: starrfmonline.com

Azorka boys clash with opposition demonstrators

Protesters at the demonstration in Tamale Protesters at the demonstration in Tamale

The timely intervention of the Police has prevented what could have been a deadly clash between demonstrators and a vigilante group with allegiance to the NDC, Azorka Boys, in Tamale in the Northern region.

According to an eyewitness, the Azorka boys appeared from “nowhere” and entered the crowd of demonstrators around the 'Vodafone traffic light' in Tamale.

“The demonstrators have been on the streets since morning. But we don’t know where the Azorka boys came from, all we saw was that they had entered the crowd and the confrontation begun but the Police were at the traffic light junction so they stopped them,” a reporter with Tamale-based Diamond FM Ken Edward told StarrFMonline.com.

He said calm has been restored and the demonstrators are proceeding with their march.

Opposition political parties led by the New Patriotic Party are demonstrating in Tamale over the economic situation in the country.

The coalition, including the CPP, PPP, NDP and APC says it is too late to call off the protest scheduled for Monday. The protest has been nicknamed ‘Times are hard’.

It comes as President John Mahama is expected to begin campaign activities in the Northern region today.

The parties are protesting soaring electricity bills and the prices of other items they claim are skyrocketing in the country.

Starr News sources say Police in the region have officially written to them to suspend the demonstration due to the president’s visit.