Bawku (U/E), June 19, GNA - Mr. Mark Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister, has praised the chiefs and people of the Bawku area for observing peace.

He gave the assurance that government would lift curfew in Bawku if peace is sustained.

Mr. Woyongo made the commendation when he led the Minister of Education, Mr. Alex Tetteh-Enyo, who was on a duty tour of the region, to pay a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of the area, Naba Abugragu Azoka II. He said that government and other stakeholders could not effectively execute development projects in the area due to insecurity. Mr. Woyongo commended the Mamprusi faction that withdrew from the Inter-ethnic Committee for the area, for returning to the peace negations. He appealed to chiefs in Bawku to work towards sustainable peace to facilitate economic activities.

Mr. Tetteh-Enyo called on the people to maintain peace for the development of the area, and said that the poor academic performance of some schools in Bawku was due to the conflict there. He expressed worry that some teachers fled the area during the peak of conflicts in Bawku and others refused to return to the area. Mr. Tetteh-Enyo said that traditional authorities were obliged to maintain peace and harmony for development.