Regional News of Monday, 7 June 2010

Source: GNA

Bimoba Youth Association urges government to confiscate disputed lands

Accra, June 7, GNA - Members of Bimoba Youth Association (BIYA) of Bunkpurugu Yunyoo District in the Northern Region, last weekend called on government to confiscate disputed lands in the area for public use and compensate the aggrieved parties. They contended that recent disturbances in the district over a parce l of land and the subsequent accusations and counter-accusations indicated that there were divisions and polarisation in the area, therefore, the on ly option to maintain peace and order was for the government to confiscate t he land in dispute. The call was made in a communiqu=E9 signed by Mr David Bin-Kotten Ni bi, National President of BIYA and copied to Ghana News Agency in Accra. It was issued at the end of a day's conference at Tamale by opinion leaders, Bimoba clans, political heads, and other stakeholders on the rec ent inter clan conflict in the district that called for government's immediat e intervention. The communiqu=E9 assured government of the communities' preparedness to collaborate for immediate resettlement of displaced persons, and appealed to the Ghana Education Service (GES) and District Security Council to re-ope n all schools that were closed down. It outlined a road map to peace, which included educating the communities on the dangers and consequences of conflicts; strengthening o f security; prosecution of perpetrators of conflict and creation of job opportunities for the youth. The communiqu=E9 assured government of the people's commitment to peaceful co-existence and the association's determination to work with al l peace loving people and groups to develop the district. "It is about time the youth of Bimoba and Konkomba unite to educate their people to co-exist in order to pave the way for development," the communiqu=E9 stated.