Tindongo and Namoaligo communities reconciled

http://ghanaian-chronicle.com/tindongo-and-namoaligo-communities-reconciled/dsc04304/ By William N-lanjerborr Jalulah

Three months after a bloody clash led to the death of four people in the Tindongo and Namoaligo communities of the Talensi District in the Upper East Region, the leadership of the two communities have initiated bold steps in their bid to restore peace between their people.

It would be recalled that men of the two communities clashed on Tuesday June 5, 2012, over the ownership of a piece of land. In the process, four men were killed under disturbing circumstances.

But, the leadership of the two communities, last weekend, jointly poured libation to appease their gods, and inform their ancestors of their decision to put the past behind them and to co-exist peacefully all over again.

They also pledged to perform other joint rites, including animal sacrifices and community discussions in the two communities, to conclude the process towards the total restoration of peace.

At a gathering attended by chiefs and traditional elders from the Talensi Traditional Area, The Deputy Regional Minister, Mrs. Lucy Awuni, the Talensi District Chief Executive, Mrs. Vivian Anafo, the Regional Police Command, the President and Paramount Chief of the Talensi Traditional Council, in a statement read on his behalf by the Chief of Baare, Naba Sylvester Balangumyetimi, called on both sides never to use violent acts as a solution to misunderstandings, but to always use dialogue.

According to him, the decision to smoke the peace pipe, with a joint ceremony by the leadership of the two communities, was reached after mediation by a committee instituted by the Talensi

Traditional Council to help find lasting peace between the two communities.

Whilst giving an assurance of his commitment to finding a lasting solution to the conflict, the chief also appealed to the Regional Minister and the government to help withdraw the case from court for a peaceful settlement by the Traditional Council, since it had already started the mediation.

The Upper East Regional Staff Officer of the Ghana Police Service, DSP Mr. Charles Obiri, commended the two communities for agreeing to settle their differences for the sake of peace and development, adding that the decision was the beginning of the peace building process.

On their request for the withdrawal of the case from court, DSP Obiri said, much would depend on the outcome of their rites towards the restoration of a lasting peace, noting: 'After all the case is in court to ensure a peaceful settlement, and so if you can assure that you are the position to do that, then your request can be granted. But, you must first address all bottlenecks that could spark the conflict again.'