Following the recent heightening of tensions in the Eastern Corridor of the Northern Region as a result of provocative social media posts and reckless pronouncements by some citizens, the Northern Development Forum (NDF) quickly reached out to the parties in dispute, notably the Dagomba Youth Association (DAYA), the Konkomba Youth Association and the Basare Youth Association (BAYA) to forestall any escalation.

These interactions by the NDF have been undertaken to support the efforts of the Joint Ministerial Peace Team which visited the Northern Region recently to dispel rising tensions and set in motion actions aimed at peaceful coexistence, social cohesion, and ethnic harmony in the Eastern Corridor of the Northern Region.

The NDF wish to commend the Joint Ministerial Peace Team for their swift intervention and also applaud the Gbewaa Palace, the Dagomba Youth Association (DAYA), the Dagbon Forum (DF), the Konkomba Youth Association (KOYA), the Basare Youth Association, the Northern Regional Peace Council (NRPC) and the Northern Regional Coordinating Council (NRCC) for consulting continuously and cooperating closely to ensure that the conflict hysteria which was sweeping through the Northern Region has been curtailed.

Recent engagements by the NDF with the parties in dispute have emphasized the overwhelming appetite of the parties for peace in the region, in spite of some disagreements about the issues at stake.

The NDF is urging all stakeholders to continue to engage continuously as we dialogue in order to reach a common ground. The NDF is acutely aware that the absence of violence is not necessarily the presence of peace.

Proactive measures need to be introduced purposely aimed at addressing some of the existing disagreements, with a view to tackling the sources of these disagreements in order to achieve the much-deserved lasting, long-term and sustainable peace.

The NDF call on the parties in dispute to exercise maximum circumspection and restraint, and allow for a thorough interrogation of the issues at stake. All advocates of peace and development are concerned about the deleterious effects of talk and social media posts about impending conflict in the Eastern Corridor because even such mere talk discourages investment and aggravates the poverty of the North, which is actually the Enemy of the North.

As we work assiduously to reconcile the parties and reinforce the foundations of peace in the Northern Region, the NDF is inviting all activists and advocates for peace and the accelerated development of Northern Ghana, to collaborate with the NDF to safeguard the peace of the North.