President John Dramani Mahama has urged residents of Bawku and its environs to embrace lasting peace and put an end to the protracted conflict that has plagued the area for decades.
Addressing the nation during the 68th Independence Day parade at the Jubilee House in Accra, President Mahama highlighted the devastating impact of the conflict on the younger generation.
He emphasized the need to replace the lingering memories of violence with opportunities for growth and prosperity.
“The people of Bawku and other areas, it is time for lasting peace to prevail,” he stated. “Our children deserve to inherit a peaceful land where their brains are nurtured, not where their nightmares are relived. They deserve to inherit markets ushering with trade, not tension and conflicts, and schools echoing with learning, not melancholy.”
The President called for a renewal of friendships and a collective effort to rise above past grievances. He stressed that achieving peace is not about forgetting the past but about transcending it.
“Let us not be swayed by division, distrust, and the weight of past hindrance. Let us give peace a chance. This is not an invitation to simply forget the past. Far from it. It is an invitation to live above it,” he added.
The Bawku conflict, a longstanding dispute with deep-seated ethnic and chieftaincy roots, has led to significant loss of lives and property over the years.
President Mahama’s call for peace is expected to galvanize stakeholders to prioritize dialogue and reconciliation efforts.
The appeal for peace aligns with the government’s broader agenda to create a stable and conducive environment for development in all regions of Ghana.