Victims Of North Gonja Fire And Gunshots Counting Losses

Residents of Diisah and Salugu communities in the North Gonja District of the Northern Region have begun counting their loss three days after their houses were set ablaze amidst firing of gunshots following a renewed chieftaincy conflict.

The incident, which happened around mid-night Saturday, January 13, and Sunday, January 14, left over a thousand people displaced as they fled to neighbouring districts whiles two others were confirmed killed.

As at Monday, tonnes of foodstuffs such as maize, beans, groundnuts, soybeans and millet stocked in the burnt houses were still burning because there was no way to salvage them as the North Gonja District Assembly does not have a Fire Service post to take care of the situation.

The GNA, which joined a delegation of the Northern Regional Security Council on Monday to tour both communities to assess the extent of damage, saw that other valuables of residents such as personal belongings, electronic gadgets, motorbikes, bicycles, physical cash, school leaving certificates amongst others also got burnt in the inferno.

Some of the residents, who were around to park the pieces, said they could face hunger soon as they just finished harvesting crops and all the foodstuffs were burnt including; two grinding mills, which helped to grind their grains, were also burnt.

On Monday, the National Disaster Management Organisation at the North Gonja District started collecting statistics on the extent of damage to both communities and could not release official figures on the situation.

The chieftaincy conflict was sparked by the refusal of Tampulmas at Diisah and Salugu to pay royalties to the Wasipe Traditional Council, which exercises traditional authority over the area.

The Tampulmas allegedly migrated from the East Mamprusi area and settled at Diisah and Salugu in the Gonjaland in 1955, and enskinned their chiefs without authorisation from the Wasipe Traditional Council, a development, which has been the source of the long standing dispute in the area.

Mr Salifu Saeed, Northern Regional Minister appealed to the Tampulmas and the Wasipe Traditional Council to eschew violence and follow the laid down structures to resolve their differences.

He, therefore, summoned them to the Regional Coordinating Council on Tuesday to state their concerns for an amicable resolution to ensure peace in the area.

The Regional Minister said investigations were being conducted to arrest the perpetrators of the Saturday's attacks to prosecute them accordingly.