Bawku (U/E), July 14, GNA - Mr Abdulai Abanga, Bawku Municipal Chief Executive, on Monday stated that the protracted conflict in the Municipality has had negative impact on socio-economic activities, sent many people fleeing and brought to a halt all development projects in the area.

He noted that people all over the world were charting the course of development and progress and fighting poverty, hunger and disease, saying, it was rather shameful that the Municipality should be engaged in fighting and destruction of property. Mr Abanga said this when he spoke at stakeholders' forum on peace, aimed at sensitizing the citizens of Bawku on the need for peaceful coexistence and the rule of law, organized by the National Commission on civic Education (NCCE) in Bawku on Monday.

He called on the people to be bold enough to renounce violence and not to sit on the fence with fear and to allow the future of the town and that of their children to be jeopardized. "If our grandfathers bequeathed unto us the values of war and destruction, we should not allow same to be transferred to our children, adding; "times have changed, hence the need for us to catch up with the changing times and bring back to our Municipality the relative peace for enhanced socio-economic development.

"Our society is losing, Bawku is losing, we must all stand up and say no to all trouble causers, tell them enough is enough. Let them know our town is being destroyed and posterity will judge us if we sit and allow this to continue. We can change, so let us change for the better", he said. He said the present situation whereby fear and mistrust had over ridden the confidence of the people and restricted them from moving freely was not the best as people needed freedom to transact their daily business, access health care, go to school and visit friends and relatives.

Mr Michael Fuoh, Deputy Upper East Regional Director of NCCE, appealed to the people of the Municipality to be tolerant of each other's presence and views, saying; "tolerance is not only a moral duty, but a political and legal requirement, it is the virtue that makes peace possible".

He noted that in a democratic society, everyone was free to adhere to his or her convictions and to accept that others adhered to theirs, thereby avoiding the imposition one's views on others. Mr Fuoh stated that education was the most effective means of preventing intolerance and conflict, saying people needed to be taught about what their shared rights and freedoms were so that they would be respected.

During an open forum, the participants agreed that all assembly members educated their people on the need to tolerate each other and to promote peace.