The National Peace Council (NPC) has raised concerns about recent disputes in some parts of the country, especially Bawku in the Upper East Region, Battor in the Volta Region and Buipe in the Savannah Region.
The Council noted that in December, 2022 alone, fatalities, injuries and loss of properties have been recorded in these parts as a result of disputes, which have been mostly related to chieftaincy.
This, the Council stresses, has the potential “to derail the gains of peace and stability in the country”.
These concerns were raised by the Council in its end-of-year statement.
It, however, expressed happiness about Ghana’s ranking on the 2022 Global Peace Index report.
“The 2022 Global Peace Index Report ranked Ghana as the second most peaceful country in Africa and the first in West Africa.
“This feat has not been achieved in a vacuum,” the statement signed by Chairman Reverend Dr Ernest Adu Gyamfi said.
“It’s indeed, our collective efforts, as a people, determined to sustain our peace and democracy.”
It expressed gratitude to government, traditional rulers, political parties, businesses, academia, the diplomatic community, civil society, and the people of Ghana “for their contributions to the peace and stability of the country”.
On the pockets of violence, the Council urged regional security councils (REGSECs) of the affected regions “to conduct the necessary inquiry into the circumstances that led to these unfortunate occurrences”.
It urged all involved in conflict resolution processes to work closely with the REGSECs for peaceful resolution of the disputes.