Dagbon youth march for peace

Hundreds of Dagbon youth yesterday hit the streets of Yendi, Tamale, in a peace march to call for the implementation of the final phase of the road-map for peace in the Dagbon traditional area.

About 10 bus-loads of youth left Tamale for the protest in Yendi, which has been lauded by well-meaning Dagombas.

The Dagbon peace march, dubbed: “Diwumti,” to wit we are tired, was organised by the Dagbon Malimi Zungo (DAMAZ) Network in collaboration with other major stakeholders in Dagbon.

Escorted by armed security personnel, the protesters held placards with inscriptions such as: “Abudus and Andanis must unite,” “We need one Dagbon,” “Dagbon is bigger than Abudus and Andanis,” “We demand peace from our leaders now!” and “Diwumti.”

Leadership of the Dagbon Malimi Zungo Network and some of the participants from both sides of the chieftaincy divide in Dagbon in separate interviews decried the setback in the implementation of the final phase of the road-map to peace in Dagbon by the three eminent chiefs’ Mediation Committee handling the Dagbon chieftaincy impasse.

They admonished the Asantehene-led Mediation Committee to quicken its pace in bringing to finality the age-long chieftaincy dispute between the Abudu and Andani royals in Dagbon.

They also re-echoed the need for the Mediation Committee to ignore the machinations of what they described as “Chieftaincy Contractors” in Dagbon, and ensure that the funerals of the late Yaa-Naa Mahamadu Abdulai IV and that of the late Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani II are performed in the old Gbewaa Palace in Yendi.

The DAMAZ was officially launched on September 10, 2017 with the overall objective of uniting Dagombas towards building a prospective and industrious Dagbon kingdom.

As the brainchild of the Northern Regional Coordinating Council, the DAMAZ formed part of government’s agenda to permanently resolve the Dagbon chieftaincy dispute between the Abudu and Andani royals.