We, the Mamprusi youth of Bawku, wish to express our observations and reservations of certain statements that have been made to the media lately by the Kusasi youth in Bawku.

“Nayiri Has No Jurisdiction Over Bawku – Bawku Youth and “Bawku peace under threat…As Mamprusis plan funeral”, being captions of news headlines carried by the Daily Guide and the Ghanaian Times respectively of their issues of November 4 and October 31, 2011, requires our reaction.

In both publications, a highlight was made pertaining to the intended performance of the funeral rites of the late Paramount Chief of the Bawku Traditional Area, Alhaji Adam Azangbeogo. It was stated in both issues, that the Mamprugu King, Nayiri Naa Buhagu Mahami Abdulai Sheriga, had written to the Municipal Police Commander, requesting for police protection in the course of the funeral activities.

This, according to the publications, did not go down well with the youth of Kusal, thereby eliciting a press conference from which both papers reported on. However, much as we recognize their write to free speech just as we are enjoying, we wish to state that their concerns were not cogently presented. We are of this view because the funeral performance of the late chief’s funeral is a duty of the concerned royal gate, and not that of the Kusasi youth. The Nayiri sent the letter to the police to show respect to the appropriate institutions, as leader of law-abiding citizens. If by so-doing, the Kusasi youth can take the law to their hands and can tell us that we cannot perform the funeral of our late chief, we have for the moment nothing to say except to wait for the authorities to acknowledge and respond to our King’s request. It must however, be recalled that a similar posturing was taken by the same Kusasi youth when we, the Mamprusis attempted celebrating our Damba festival last year. They succeeded at last and the programme was finally put off. We wish to make this position clear that we would no longer accept these tricks being put forward by the Kusasi youth of Bawku.

The request by the Nayiri does not in any way portend any security risk, but to rather make sure that in the course of the performance, no ‘dissident’ mourners come in to foment trouble. The current action by the Kusasi youth of Bawku, is an indication that no matter what we do towards the achievement of peace, they are not in any way ready to help in that direction. These negative activities will not help in bringing it about.

We have always craved for a peaceful resolution to this decades-old conflict. For if there is no peace in one corner of Bawku - there won’t be peace in the other parts of Bawku. If one part of Bawku’s children cannot go to school, the other parts of Bawku’s children cannot go either.