Help identify sources of conflicts - Media urged

Chief Superintendent Fred Asare, Goaso Divisional Police Commander, has appealed to media practitioners to help to identify sources of conflicts and offer suggestions for their prevention and solution.

"It behoves the media to conduct research into cases of conflict in order to provide reliable early warning signals for timely intervention and to minimize factors contributing to fuelling conflicts," he said.

Chief Superintendent Asare, a journalist by profession, was addressing a nine-member Asunafo North Municipal Electoral Taskforce at Goaso.

"Our writings should help to promote conflict awareness and management, highlight the plight of victims and provide reliable and credible data on conflict situations and enlighten society and the government on conflict areas," he stressed.

Members of the nine-member Taskforce were drawn from the Ghana Police Service, Information Service Department, Ghana National Fire Service, Customs Excise and Preventive Service, Asunafo North Municipal Assembly and the media as partners.

Mr Asare, who is chairman of the Taskforce, noted with regret that in some circumstances the media in Africa had rather become tools for fomenting conflict, saying, "some of my colleagues in the media have in some cases been fanning conflicts".

He said the aim of the Taskforce was to ensure that peace and law "shall be maintained before, during and after the forthcoming general election".

The Police Commander stressed that the Taskforce would educate all the political parties to avoid negative tendencies that would not augur well for the country's democracy.

He gave the assurance that the Police was poised to ensure law and order during the electioneering period and advised keep fit clubs to avoid using any party colours in their activities to avoid violent clashes.