Nkonya Youth Alleged Volta RCC, Alavanyo Profiting From Conflicts

Some angry youth of Nkonya in the Volta Region are accusing the Volta Regional Coordinating Council and others of benefiting from the protracted conflict between the people of Nkonya and Alavanyo.

The Alavanyo and Nkonya communities although sited in different districts, have for close to a century fought over a parcel of land leading to loss of lives and properties.

Addressing the press on Monday, a youth group in Nkonya accused the Volta Regional Coordinating Council and officials tasked to ensure peace in the area of deliberately prolonging the peace talks for personal gains.

Lead Convener of the group, Cosmos Sarpong, who spoke to the press lamented the poor living conditions of the people in the area and called for immediate investigations into the peace-building process.

Cosmos Sarpong, who is also the Assembly member for the Nkonya Tayi area identified illegal lumbering in the disputed area as one of the main causes of killings accusing authorities of being aware of this.

“About GHS10 million spent annually on meetings, seminaries, and peacekeeping operation in managing the Alavanyo-Nkonya conflict, we believe the VRCC blocked our peace talk under the YPS-Africa project so that they VRCC can continue making money out of the conflict. There is connection between the VRCC and the dangerous criminal armed group engaged in illegal lumbering in the disputed forest land. We humbly call on you to lead to institute an independent and public investigation into the issues'' he said.

Festus Joseph Sarpong, an opinion leader also expressed his reservations about the RCC's approach towards the conflict in the area.

Their concerns follow a similar one expressed by a peace group by name Youth for Peace and Security (YPDS), who petitioned the United Nations (UN), to investigate the Volta Regional Coordinating Council over their alleged involvement in corruption and human rights abuses that fuel the conflict.

The Coordinating Council has since been denying any wrong doing and have discounted the claims.