Military prevents bloodbath at Yendi, and...

....Steps Up Patrol
The timely intervention of the Military at Yendi prevented a bloodbath between the Andani and Abudu clans in the Yendi chieftaincy dispute. The military had to fire several shots into the air to disperse the warring factions, who were mobilizing to attack each other; one person was injured in the process. The military arrested four suspects believed to be the ringleaders and were transferred to Tamale.

There are conflicting reports on the cause of the recent Disturbances. One report says that during the Eidul Fitr celebration last Friday, some Muslim clerics were reported to have made statements, which might have incited the youth to resort to violence.

The other report stated that a chief from the Abudu clan went to the Bolin-Lana, the leader of the Abudu clan_s palace to pay homage on a horseback. This was after the Eidul Fitr prayers, which some Andani youth did not take kindly to, they verbally assaulted him and his entourage when they were passing by a place dominated by the Andanis.

The chief was said to have reported the incident to the Boli-Lana, who gave him escort and they were again verbally assaulted, it degenerated into a free for all fight and the throwing of stones. The two rival clans started mobilizing for a showdown when the military intervened to disperse the crowd.

The Officer Commanding the Sixth Battalion in Tamale, which oversees Yendi, Major S.K. Adorkor, said the military has intensified their patrols in Yendi and Tamale. He also stated that the situation has been brought under control. The military is on alert and he assured the public that the situation would not get out of control. The long-standing dispute between the Andani and Abudu royal families of Dagbon sparked violent clashes last March, in which the king, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani and 26 others were killed.

A state of emergency has since been prevailing in the Dagbon area. Under the state of emergency, a curfew has been imposed, as well as a ban on mass gathering and press censorship of news from the Dagbon area.

Military Steps Up Patrol In Yendi.

Latest reports from Northern Region speak of calm with military personnel patrolling the Yendi Township to forestall any clashes. The weekend fighting between the two youth groups aligned to rival Abudu and Andani royal families, dashed hopes of a gradual return to normalcy.

Various accounts have linked the latest clash to the carnage that happened in the town in March during which the Ya Na Yakubu Andani and others were killed. Hostilities in the town follow a protracted chieftaincy dispute between the two main royal families. Government officials have downplayed the weekend clash. Special Assistant to the Information Minister described the fighting as mere skirmish between over excited youth.

The military team is taking no chances and has intensified its patrols to stem any further eruption of violence. Four persons have been arrested but reports say two others who contributed to the clashes are still walking free. People are reportedly living in fear because the two groups are allegedly threatening mayhem.