Karateshie (U/E), Aug 18, GNA- The Deputy Minister of Defence, Mr Joseph Akudibilla, has called on people of Karateshie in the Bawku East District to cautious about their utterances and sustain the peace in the area.

He said nurturing the nation's democracy called for tolerance and the rule of law, and pleaded with the people in the area to avoid conflicts.

Mr Akudibilla, who is also the MP for Garu-Timpani, said this at the weekend when he visited the village to extend his condolence to bereaved families and ascertain the extent of damage caused in clashes in the area last June.

Three people were killed, whilst seven others sustained serious degree of injuries when members of two feuding families clashed over the ownership of land. Several houses were also burnt in the incident. The MP said government's expenditure on conflict resolution could be used to provide infrastructure to enhance their living conditions. He, therefore, called on the people to unite and fight against poverty, hunger and disease.

The MP urged them to rule out the perception that people of northern extraction were "violent" by resorting to peaceful resolutions of disputes.

The Presiding Member for the Bawku East Municipal Assembly, Mr Solomon Awuni, who accompanied the Deputy Minister, appealed to the people to exercise restraint in dealing with each other.

He said if they failed to tolerate each other and waste their time on conflicts, they would be depriving themselves of development. A spokesman for the community leaders, Algi Anungin, expressed gratitude to the Deputy Minister and his entourage for the visit and to mourn with them.

He pledged their unflinching cooperation to put aside the past and live in peace.