After many years of animosity, the people of Doba and Kandiga communities in the Upper East Region have laid down their weapons to allow peace to reign.
This means the intermarrying communities in the Kassena-Nankana Municipal and Kassena-Nankana West district can live again in harmony. This comes after a blood cleansing exercise on Friday and a non-denominational church service at the Kandiga Catholic school park on Saturday.
The reconciliation exercise comes after years of a protracted land dispute that claimed lives and loss of properties. The two communities had not known peace since 2019 over the rightful ownership of a parcel of land that stalled the construction of a police post and a CHPS compound.
Commendation
The paramount chief of the Sirigu Traditional Area, Naba Atogumdeya Roland Akwara III expressed excitement that the chiefs and people of Doba and Kandiga have come to the reality and have decided to use peaceful, non-violent means to resolve their grievances.
“Our true enemy is poverty, which is an ancestral heritage that successive governments since colonial times have failed to tackle. Names like Atignongo, Anongobuno, etc show the pervasiveness of poverty in this area”, he added.
Governments neglect of Upper East Region
As peace returned to the two communities, Naba Atogumdeya III made a passionate appeal to the government to channel resources to develop the communities and the Upper East Region as a whole.
“Statistics have shown that the Upper East Region is the poorest in Ghana due to years of neglect and disinvestment by successive governments. Indeed, since the Acheampong era, no significant investment has taken place in the Upper East Region. I wish to use this opportunity to appeal to government to address the structural causes of poverty in this area as a peace-building initiative. Climate change and environmental scarcity have worsened the poverty situation in the area. Kandiga and Doba now need food, shelter, water, health facilities, and good roads to enjoy their peace.”
Second phase
A second phase of the peace talks which is the preserve of elders will determine the rightful owners of the land which was at the center of the conflict. Naba Atogumdeya III admonished the youth to exercise patience and pray for a peaceful outcome since the mediating team will not leave anything to chance.
“We wish to urge you to continue to trust us and volunteer vital information that can assist the work of the mediation team. Since, the immediate cause of the conflict is about landownership, I wish to appeal to government and other relevant organisations to embark on a sensitization exercise to educate chiefs, tindanas and households about the new Land Act 2020 (Act 1036). I am sure this will help reduce the numerous conflicts relating to land.”
Pledge for peace
On their part, the chief of Doba Naba Ajebsira Abane Atingoa II through his spokesperson, Clement Anontara Asakiya regretted about how the impact of the conflict has had on the people of the two communities.
“And we want to assure any woman has lost the husband because of the conflict that you will not suffer to survive. Any child who lost the father, that they will not suffer. May God almighty restore lasting peace among the two communities and may all departed souls rest in peace. May our ancestors bring shame to anybody who was fueling the conflict”.
Gilbert Atanga, Secretary for Naba Henry Abawine Amenga-Etego II, Chief of Kandiga said the protracted conflict had retard development in the two communities. On behalf of the chief of Kandiga community, Mr. Atanga pledged that the two intermarrying communities will coexist to pave way for the needed development.
“Kandiga and Doba communities have coexisted peacefully until the disturbances. As I speak, my elder sister is married at Doba and many Doba women are married at Kandiga. So why will we engage in conflict? But moving forward, Doba and Kandiga will coexist even better than it was before the conflict”
Need to embrace peace
The Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu lamented that government had used a lot of resources to maintain peace and order during the conflict in the area “at the detriment of providing basic amenities to make life comfortable for the people of Doba and Kandiga”
“The devastating effects of the conflict between these two communities cannot be overemphasized. We have lost people who could have become statesmen. Properties have been destroyed, lives have been lost, businesses have collapsed, people have been displaced, school children have dropped out of schools, family tights and bonds have broken up and most regrettably, a major drain to the two assemblies involved”, Kassena-Nankana West District Chief Executive, Gerald Ataogye read a statement on behalf of the minister.
The Bishop of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocese, Most Reverend Alfred Agyenta prayed for the two communities and advised the youth to shun away from activities that could jeopardize the peace chalked.
As a symbol to signify peace return at Doba and Kandiga, both chiefs and people for the first time since the conflict erupted, drink ‘zom ko’om’ from the same calabash, and ate T.Z in the same bowl.
Acknowledgment
The roadmap for lasting peace in Doba and Kandiga communities was spearheaded by Naba Atogumdeya Roland Akwara III with support from four Kingdoms of the Atalimiiro family which consists of Zecco, Tuongo/ Guelwongo from Burkina Faso Sirigu/Sherikingo and Navrongo. Other key institutions and chiefs that played a mediating role in the dispute included Mirigu Chief, Natugnia Chief, Gilingo Chief, Namoo Chief, the Sirigu Women’s Organization for Pottery Art (SWOPA) and the Catholic Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|Kandiga|Ghana
