Peace Council Bill with Cabinet for consideration

Sunyani, Sept. 3, GNA - The National Peace Council (NPC) Bill to be passed into law is at the cabinet level, Mr Martin Amidu, the Minister of Interior, has said.

He said the policy under-pinning the bill had been accepted by the cabinet sub-committee and efforts were being made to forward it to the legislature for passage.

Mr Amidu, who was addressing a meeting of the Brong-Ahafo Regional Peace Advisory Council (RPAC) as part of a three-day tour of the Brong-Ahafo Region, expressed the hope that when Parliament reconvened the bill would be passed "in a record time".

The tour was to enable the Minister to express the government's appreciation to the council for its commitment to duty that had ensured peace and tranquillity in the region.

Mr Amidu gave the assurance that the Bill would be passed with the establishment of structures from the national through to regional and district levels but with an executive secretary at the national level.

He said membership would be independent and non-partisan and that would position the NPC as a body commanding the confidence and respect of all Ghanaians.

Mr Suallah Abdallah Quandah, Secretary of the RPAC, said the main threat to peace in the region was conflicts, which he categorized as land, chieftaincy, economic and political disputes.

He expressed regret that "notable conflicts in the Brong-Ahafo Region are rather protracted and even pre-date the establishment of the RPAC".

Mr Quandah cited some of the conflicts as chieftaincy succession disputes at Wamfie since 1982, Nsoatre, 2001, Kwame Danso Zongo, 2006, Berekum, 2002 as well Tuobodom-Techiman, 1996.

Other disputes include Sankore 2008 election fall out, Abesim Eye Centre dispute between the Anglican Diocese of Sunyani and Abesim community since 2008 and Atebubu Yam Market dispute since 2007.

"All these conflicts have common characteristics - they have escalated with destructive manifestations and also they have become long-standing and intractable and appearing to be defying efforts to resolve them", Mr. Quandah said.

He, however, said with annual support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the RPAC had been carrying peace education in the region.

He said conflicts being managed by the council included the Wamfie, Kwame Danso and Tuobodom chieftaincy disputes and that of Berekum.

The Rev Monsignor Marfo Gyimah, chairman of the RAPC, said the council's major challenge was inadequate funding and appealed to the government to provide resources to enable the council to meet its goals and obligations.

Prof Claver Nyathi, UNDP Chief Governance Advisor in Ghana, gave the assurance that the organisation would not relent in its support to the peace process in Ghana.