June 4 , Boakye Djan, Gatsiko Lay Wreaths

Two former members of the erstwhile Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) yesterday laid wreaths at the Independence Square in Accra on the 27th anniversary of the June 4 Uprising and to commemorate all losses made during incidents of political violence in the country since 1948.

They were Osahene Boakye Djan and Ex-Corporal Newton Gatsiko.

In a statement read on behalf of what he called the majority of former members of the AFRC after the brief wreath-laying ceremony, Osahene Djan said “We have chosen to show our sympathy and share in the grief and pain of survivors and relatives from all these incidents, because the June 4 Uprising was one such event.”

He said some former members of the AFRC, who appeared before the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), served notice of their intention to use the day to show their sympathy towards survivors and relatives of political violence in the country.

“We once more take this opportunity to inform all Ghanaians, particularly the surviving targets and others from political violence that we share in their pain and grief today and ask them to join in the efforts of the government to reconcile the nation from these wounds of the past,” he said.

Osahene Djan said now that the commission had presented its report, and the government had accepted recommendations by some members of the AFRC “we believe that our move to mark the occasion would demonstrate our contribution to the national reconciliation efforts”.

He added that work was in progress to set up a national charity to continue to observe the occasion annually to remind Ghanaians that “never again shall we allow violence to creep into our political life”.