Mr Donatus Atanga Akamugri, the Upper East Regional Minister, has appealed to the Catholic Church to lend its influential voice and moral authority to efforts to bring lasting peace to Bawku.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to Most Reverend Alfred Agyenta, Catholic Bishop of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese, the Minister expressed deep concern over the Bawku conflict, which has claimed lives, disrupted livelihoods, and strained community relations for years.
The Minister emphasized the pivotal role religious institutions, especially the Catholic Church, could play in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, given its credibility and trust among the people.
He expressed hope that the Church could be instrumental in helping to mediate and foster dialogue among the feuding factions in Bawku.
“We cannot realise peace when we do not use our religious bodies because you permeate societies”, Mr Akamagri stated, adding “the Catholic Church cut across the feuding factions in the Bawku conflict and the Church talks to them, they listen to you better than the politicians”.
The Bawku conflict, which has spanned decades, is rooted in a chieftaincy dispute that has led to violence, displacement of residents, and loss of lives.
Since October 2024, more than 50 people have lost their lives through violent clashes linked to the Bawku conflict and more than 300 people have been killed since November 2021 while many others sustained injuries and properties destroyed.
Mr Akamugri reiterated the unfettered commitment of President John Dramani Mahama to bringing lasting peace to Bawku, thereby establishing a mediation team led by Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, adding that the role of the Catholic Church was crucial to realising such ambition.
“This conflict is interregional because some of the members involved in the conflict cut across Upper East and North East Region and you have structures that people from two regions are under this same diocese and so you are well positioned to be able to help,” he added.
Mr Akamugri commended the Catholic Church for its commitments over the years to the development of the people, especially in the area of human development, education, health and socioeconomic empowerment of rural communities.
He said the NDC was a socialist party and its governance focused on bringing relief to the deprived and vulnerable persons, similar to the mission of the Catholic Church and appealed to them to support programmes of government to transform lives.
On his part, Most Reverend Agyenta congratulated Mr Akamugri on his appointment as the Regional Minister and reiterated the support of the Catholic Church and the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese, particularly to his reign and his government.
He said the mission of the Catholic Church was not only to provide spiritual nourishment to the people, but to support human development.
The Bishop explained that the Diocese, through NABOCADO, its development wing, had been undertaking a lot of projects in the area of education, health, peace and governance, agriculture and economic empowerment in many hard-to-reach communities in Upper East and North East Regions to complement government’s efforts to enhance development.
He assured the Regional Minister that the Church would continue to pray for the government and restoration of peace in Bawku and urged open door policy to ensure that the Church contributed to implementing the policies of the government for maximum benefits.
GNA
