18th April, 2013
The West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP-Ghana) has identified the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Northern regions as the most volatile areas in the country.
The group made the disclosure in its quarterly report, on the nation’s security.
In view of this, WANEP-Ghana has urged the security agencies to be on high alert, to preserve the peace, especially during the election petition trial.
It further urged both the petitioners and respondents to view the petition process as addressing the challenges and deficiencies in Ghana’s electoral processes and not a win or lose contest.
Speaking to Citi News, the National Coordinator of WANEP, Justin Bayor, indicated that “many of the politically-related violence occur in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions.”
“The polarisation of the Ghanaian environment by political and governance related issues has for a long time been a threat to the country’s political and social stability; within the past quarter of the year, a total of 14 (20% of all incidents) politically related incidents were captured, the second highest threatening indicator in the quarter. Of the 14 political incidents, 7 out of the 25 arrests made by the security agencies were politically related,” he indicated.
According to the data, the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western and Central regions witnessed an increase in violent and criminal activities during the quarter; although the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions recorded fewer incidents overall, chieftaincy and land-related incidents were the majority.
The chieftaincy and land conflicts were, however, more explosive, because of their complexities.
Mr. Bayor also called on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC), to educate their supporters to exercise restraint after the ruling.
“We, urge all to accept the verdict of the Supreme Court; this includes both individuals and groups jubilations should be limited and the existing and emerging conflicts managed through education in order to sustain the current relative calm and stability in the country etc,” he stressed.
The report also called on the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to put in appropriate and adequate measures to avert or limit the effects of rainstorms and floods, as the rainy season approaches.
“The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) should devise appropriate and adequate strategies towards averting or limiting the effects of rainstorms and floods as the rainy season approaches; Education on relocation of settlements and property,
strengthening collaboration with the authorities in Burkina Faso to prevent the floods, evacuation from flood-prone zones, readiness with reliefs medics and supplies etc should be put in place,” the report advised.
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