Accra, March 27, GNA - Naa Bahagu Mahami Abdulai Sheriga, Nayiri, the Overlord of Mamprugu, on Thursday renewed his appeal for calm and an end to the violent clashes in the Bawku area.

He asked the people there to regard themselves more importantly as Ghanaians and to live as such without reference to ethnic origins. The Nayiri, who was at the Castle, Osu, as part of continued consultations launched by President John Agyekum Kufuor to find a durable solution to the Bawku crisis noted that in the event of violent disturbances, development and peace co-existence became the major casualties.

He was accompanied by a 35-member high-powered delegation made up of Paramount and Divisional Chiefs and opinion leaders of the area. President Kufuor had already held separate talks with the Bawku Naba, Naa Abugrago Azorka, and a delegation of Mamprusis in Bawku. Naa Sheriga said he felt concerned about the violence and insecurity in that part of the country and labelled the development that led to the recent clashes as deplorable. He conveyed his gratefulness to President Kufuor for the invitation to him to discuss and dialogue on the way forward to restore normalcy to Bawku.

President Kufuor, in remarks before going into closed session with the Nayiri and his delegation said the counsel and co-operation of the Mamprugu King would be required to bring peace and stability to the people.

He recognized him as a highly ranked traditional ruler who moved with a lot of history around him. President Kufuor said he was happy that the Nayiri accepted to be part of the effort at helping to broker a peaceful settlement of the Bawku conflict. Violent clashes, which erupted in Bawku about three months ago, had claimed lives, left many wounded and destroyed property.