Northern and Upper East REGSECs to resolve conflict

The Northern and Upper East Regional Security Councils (REGSECs) have called on the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the Land Boundary Commission to resolve the land boundary conflict between Arigu and Gorborigu.

The two REGSECs made the call after they held joint meeting in Bolgatanga, in the Upper East Region, and stressed the need for appropriate demarcation and the right title owners of the area to avoid further problems.

According to the members that would be the only speedy way that could help resolve the long standing misunderstanding between the two communities, adding that in doing so “we will know which part of the land belongs to Northern Region and Upper East Region”.

Geographically the Arigu and Guborigu communities are in the Northern Region but both are near to the Upper East Region.

It is believed that the people of Guborigu originally moved from Kandiga, Mirigu and Naga in the Upper East Region whilst the people of Arigu are from the Northern Region.

It would be recalled that there was a recent clash between the two communities when the biometric voter’s registration exercise started.

The people of Arigu said they would not allow the exercise to be conducted in Guborigu unless the inhabitants agree to vote with them in subsequent elections or move out of the area since the territory does not belong to them.

The Guborigu people usually register and vote in their community but send the votes to Pwalugu in the Talensi- Nabdam District in Upper East for counting.

Meanwhile the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo and the Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Mabengba visited the communities on Tuesday and appealed to them to remain calm and allow the biometric voter’s registration exercise to take place.

Both Regional Ministers assured the communities that there would be security personnel deployed from the two regions to ensure peace and security.

They stressed that the law would not hesitate to deal with anybody who would want to undermine the peace process in the area, adding that the people in the north should be fighting poverty and ignorance and not among themselves.

Most people from the communities, especially women and children from the Gorborigu communities have fled from the area for safety.

Both communities are not sharing social facilities such as boreholes, roads and schools that are sited in the area.**