Ahwiaa conflict: Schools shut down

Academic work has come to a halt in Ahwiaa in the Kwabre East district of the Ashanti Region as primary and junior high schools have been closed down following bloody clashes between some Zongo youth and some indigenes over the weekend.

Adehye FM’s Elisha Adarkwa, who visited the area on Monday, 5 February, reported that most private and public schools remained closed for safety concerns.

Dozens were injured on Saturday, 3 February 2018, after some Zongo youth and residents of Ahwiaa were involved in bloody clashes.

The fight occurred in the early hours with the factions attacking each other with machetes, broken bottles and other weapons after the town folks had prevented the Zongo youth from participating in a burial and funeral rites of a deceased lady.

Calm has since returned to the town while the joint military and police personnel are still at the scene to make sure there is peace.

The District Security Council (DISEC) at Kwabre East are scheduled to have a meeting to determine the next line of action.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for Kwabre East, Francisca Oteng-Mensah, has described the clashes as "sad" and "unfortunate".

The MP wondered why people, who have stayed in harmony for so many years, could engage in such scuffle, and, therefore, charged authorities to find the root cause of the conflict.

"I was disturbed when I heard that there was a young girl who died and during the funeral celebration something of this sort came about, but I really don't think that is the root cause of it, something is behind this whole fight between the two parties. We need to look for the root cause of this whole conflict,” she said, adding that investigations will be conducted to probe the conflict to find a lasting solution to it.

She commended the joint military and police team for restoring peace and order in the town.