War Clouds Gather Over Yendi

From, Alhaji Bashiru Zakari, Yendi-Northern Region

Intelligence gathered by The Herald, hint of drums ominously beating to signal preparation for renewed chieftaincy clash between the Andanis and the Abudus.

The theatre of the planned war is the Yendi in the Northern region. The Yendi market, the largest in the area, is registering an unprecedented low attendance of traders who were scared of being caught up in the fighting. The Herald can report.

Besides, farming activities in the area next year will also register low harvest, and usual movement of men and women from the Northern Region to the South has also gained intensity in recent times.

The build-up of tension has caught the attention of the security agencies who are determined to douse the sparks and prevent them from developing into a war.

Security sources say they are taking every bit of intelligence on the situation seriously. They are determine not to have a repeat of the Yendi conflict which resulted in the killing of the Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani III, and 40 other chiefs blow in their faces again.

The recent development following the enskinment of a new Savelugu chief by the skin name Kpinkpano-Lana, Abubakari Mahama, last November, 2011.

The enskinment with heavy security was done by the Kampakuya-Naa, who is also the current Regent of Dagbon. The process according to the Abudu’s, the Kampakuya- Naa breached portions of the road map of peace contained in the Otumfuo’s Mediation Committee agreement.

They also accused the government for endorsing the illegality behavior of the Kampakuya-Naa, and they vowed to use appropriate channels to have illegal enskinment reversed to calm the Abudus who were not at ease with government’s handling of the entire issue.

Speaking To The Herald, an Andani elder who pleaded for anonymity, said funeral and enskinment of 60 chiefs would take place including the 40 chiefs who died during the conflict alongside the Ya -Na Yakubu Andani III

The Dagbon issue was that, the Andani faction thought it was part of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), while the Abudu faction also thought it was for the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Thus, when either party was in power, members of either faction decided to take the law into their own hands.

The Royal Highness the King of Ashanti, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has said there was the need for politicians to stay clear of the Dagbon chieftaincy issue so that the matter would be devoid of politics.

“Chieftaincy matters have their customs and ways of dealing with them and there is no way we should allow politics to interfere with these” he stated.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who is the chairman of the Committee of Eminent Chiefs (CEC) appointed by the Kufuor’s administration to look into the Dagbon crisis, made these remarks when the Vice-President His-Excellency John Dramani Mahama, called on him in July, 2009 at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, to inform him of government’s decision to support the committee to resume sitting and continue with the peace talks.

The king of Ashanti at the meeting raised issues, blaming politicians for hampering progress of the Dagbon peace talks. Huge sums of money have been pumped into the area on monthly or weekly basis. This money being spent on such security assignments could have gone into the area’s development.

An opinion leader from Dagbon who asked not to be named, said, the NDC and NPP colours given to the crisis must give way for the committee to do its work to bring peace to Dagbon.

He also called on the feuding parties to exercise restraint and offer the needed support and co-operation to the committee to facilitate its work on the road map to peace in Dagbon.

As at the time of filling this report security have been beefed up in the Yendi Municipality, also to ensure peaceful celebration of Bugum the Fire Festival this month.