Tamale, Dec 1, GNA - The Tamale Ecclesiastical Province Pastoral Conference (TEPPCON) has urged political parties in the country to put an end to the politics of revenge and retaliation and embrace politics of justice and the common good.

The political parties have also been asked to stop taking sides with parties in conflict situations and ensure that people who fall foul of the law in such situations and were those responsible for the outbreak of the violence were dealt with as individuals and not linked to their political parties or ethnic groups.

Ms. Agnes Gandaa, TEPPCON-Partnership Coordinator, said this at a three-day workshop for women in peace building in the Tamale Metropolis on Monday.

The workshop, which was organised by TEPPCON and sponsored by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) was on the theme: "Conflict prevetion, resolution and transformation: The role of the northern women". Ms. Gandaa said the conflict situation in northern Ghana was not only about chieftaincy and ethnic issues but more about governance and dirty politics.

"Unless government makes a proactive difference in its approaches to bring a lasting solution to the northern conflict, there will be no difference between the present government and the previous ones as far as resolving conflicts in northern Ghana is concerned".

She appealed to the government to cooperate with the Northern Regional Peace Council to establish conflict healing centres in the conflict zones, especially in Bawku and Dagbon as a tool for restoring lasting peace. On the upcoming population census, Ms. Gandaa appealed to religious leaders, NGOs and all stakeholders to start serious campaigns to educate the people on its importance and to encourage them to come out in their numbers to register.

The Most Reverend Philip Naameh, Metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale, said women were good at fostering compromise and reconciliation in conflict situations by virtue of their roles as mothers, wives and sisters and urged them to use their influence to bear on the husbands and brothers to desist from war situations.

Alhaji Abdulai Harruna Friday, Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive, said the Assembly had set up the "Bilchinsi" taskforce to help identify and resolve potential violent situations before they develop into full blown conflicts.

He said one factor contributing to the increasing violence in the communities was the disregard of the youth for long time tested cultural values of the people which ensured people were each other's keeper and therefore concerned with the welfare of their neighbours.