Ho, April 3, GNA - The people of Peki and Tsito have made overtures towards a peaceful resolution of their protracted and often bloody land dispute.

The area in dispute is a large stretch of fertile land between Tsito and Dededo on the Ho-Accra highway which has been lying fallow. Before the outbreak of hostilities a few decades ago, part of the disputed land called Kporvi was a thriving marketing centre. Mr Joseph Amenowode, Volta Regional Minister gave the hint when members of Nkonya-Alavanyo Peace Mediation Committee led by its Chairman, Very Reverend Dr Livistone Buama, former Moderator of General Assembly of Evangelical Presbyterian Church called on him at Ho. He was hopeful that lessons from the Alavanyo-Nkonya success story would be adopted in helping the people of Tsito and Peki to make peace with each other as well as address similar disputes in the Region. Mr Amenowode said he had accepted the challenge to collaborate in finally putting the seal on permanent peace between Alavanyo and Nkonya. Very Reverend Dr Buama said the initiative for peaceful resolution of the Alavanyo-Nkonya dispute came from the people themselves. "They have selected us to help them to achieve peace, it was their own initiative and commitment that has brought us this far," Dr Buama said.

"They have come to understand that peace is both a gift and a task," he said.

Very Reverend Dr Buama said from a tragic situation of more than 80 years of extreme hatred, suspicion and blood letting the people of Nkonya and Alavanyo now interact with each other freely. He said the process had now reached the stage of negotiations between the two communities to determine what they intended to do with the area of land in dispute.

Very Reverend Buama said this stage of the peace process required financial support from government and that a formal request would be put in for support.

Most Reverend Francis Lodonu, Catholic Bishop of Ho Diocese of Catholic Church and Vice-Chairman of the Committee said the land area under dispute was 10 square miles. He said until a survey of the land and map of the disputed area was drawn as part of the peace process, both sides did not know the size of land they were fighting over. Very Reverend Lodonu said the map of the area in dispute was shown to both communities and those outside and was discussed accepted and approved by them.

Other members of the Peace Committee were Mama Adokua Asigble, Queenmother of Tefle, Nana Mprah Besemuna, Krachiwura, Mrs Hillary Gbedemah, Legal Practitioner and Mrs Felicia Okyere Darko, Chief State Attorney in charge of the Volta Region with Mr Evans Kanfra of Volta Regional Co-ordinating Council as Secretary.