C.E.O For Coppad Ghana Calls For Peace In Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo District

The Chief Executive Officer for Conflict Prevention for Peace and Development (COPPAD), Mr. Sunday Kunyur Laar has called on the people of Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo District to allow peace to prevail in the area.

Mr. Sunday made this call during the blood burial ceremony at Yunyoo in the Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo District of the Northern region.

Mr. Sunday Laar mentioned that, research conducted by his organization over the years indicates that, Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo District has recorded the highest number of conflicts in the region, According to him, close to 30 times of different kinds of conflict has occurred in the district making it difficult for Governments or the District Assembly to bring any development in the area.

"I want to emphasized that, the time has come for us to make good use of our Judiciary than, to continue to use violence as the only means of showing disagreement" he added.

Read the full speech of the C.O.E at the ceremony.

Your Majesty The Yunyoo Rana, The DCE, Honorable MPs for Bunkpurugu and Yunyoo constituencies, Invited Traditional Leaders Present, The District Police and Army Commanders, Distinguished Invited Guest, NADMO Coordinator, Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the Management or Board of Directors of COPPAD, I salute you all and welcome you to this important ceremony. I must admit that I am very grateful to be part of this memorable ceremony.

It is my fervent prayer that the purpose for which we have gathered here will yield the needed benefits for the current generation and the generations yet unborn. I again pray that communities that have experienced violence before will not experience it again and communities that have not gone through violence will not taste it in Jesus name.

Mr. Chairman, permit me to briefly give the history of COPPAD. COPPAD is a non-governmental, non-political and non-religious organization interested in preventing, transforming and managing violent conflicts in Northern Ghana and beyond for peace and development. COPPAD was registered in November, 2012 with the Registrar General’s Department of Ghana under sections 27 and 28 of the Companies Act, 1963 and is incorporated under the Companies Act 1963 (Act 179) and was issued with the Certificate of Incorporation and Certificate to commence operations. Currently, COPPAD has a thirteen-member Board of Directors comprising the three main tribes namely Bimobas, Konkombas and Mamprusis. The office of COPPAD is located at Najong N0.1. COPPAD was formed to serve the people of Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo and other parts of Northern Ghana.

Mr. Chairman, the membership of COPPAD is not happy with the conflict situations in the district. Personally, some people have embarrassed me before just because I came from a place where they are regarded as people who cannot resolve simple issues amicably but has to resort to violence as a means of addressing their differences.

Mr. Chairman, we have gathered here because of peace. However, let me put it that peace is not a privilege neither is it an opportunity to human beings but rather a right and hence, everyone is entitled to peace. Indeed, no society develops without peace. Peace is an essential ingredient for the success of every society. Therefore, I entreat every one of us to embrace peace. Let us put our differences behind us and reunite for the sake of our own development. Let us show to each other the love, respect and the unity we have enjoyed before. Violence will only destroy us. There is no society or group of people who have claimed victory in conflict or war before; I am yet to find one. The moment you wage a war against your neighbor you automatically become a looser.

Mr. Chairman, we need to understand that no outsider can solve our problems unless ourselves because we know what went wrong. Indeed, if we want to develop we must begin developing ourselves before development reach us. Mr. Chair, how do we do this? The answer is that we need sustainable peace in Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo district. If there is sustainable peace, civil society organizations or development agencies and philanthropists as well as investors will be willing or interested to put their resources, time and energies in our district. In addition, government appointees or employees will accept postings to the district. The District Assembly common fund and IGF will be channeled to developmental projects such as health facilities, schools, water among others instead of spending it on peacekeeping operators.

Mr. Chairman, we know very well that our district is one of the poorest districts in the country. Why then do we keep on recording violent conflicts in the district? Is it that we are rich enough to acquire sophisticated weapons? On the other hand, is it that we are ignorant? What is it at all?

Mr. Chairman, there are some people in the district who always fuel up conflict situations so as to indulge in trafficking of ammunitions as their daily businesses to their own selfish advantage at the detriment of societies. There are some others too who are thieves and they always create the confusion so that they can get the opportunity to steal animals and other valuable items. Some also stay in faraway places such as Accra, Tamale, Kumasi etc and what they only do is to make phone calls at home and say ‘don’t’ agree’ knowing very well that they and their nuclear families are safe after all. I wish to tell them that if they are not prepared to contribute to the development of Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo then they should not destroy it.

Mr. Chairman, let me take this opportunity to advise my brothers who have not been able to go to school not to relent at all. They should not sit at home idling because the devil finds work for the idle man. They can learn trade such as masonry, carpentry, fittering, dress making, plumbing among others.

Mr. Chairman, let me again salute everyone here for gracing this important occasion. I wish to entreat all of us to eat peace, drink peace and speak peace throughout our life. United we build Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo, divided we destroy it. Long live Yunyoo/Naagu, long live the district, long live Ghana.

Thank you.

Sunday Kunyur Laar

(Executive Director)