2 c’nities burnt in renewed violence at Saboba

Two farming communities in the Saboba District of the Northern Region, have been burnt in renewed communal violent clashes between the Chokosis and Komkombas.

According to the police, the burning of the communities occurred in the early hours of Sunday, when some of the residents were said to be sleeping.

The Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammed Yussif Tanko, who confirmed the incident to the Ghanaian Times, in an interview on Sunday, said the clashes were over farming land.

The renewed clashes occurred a day after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo admonished the two ethnic groups to end the frequent senseless violence, during his visit to the area.

DSP Tanko said that a clash nearly erupted in the area last Saturday, immediately the President left the district, as combatants threatened to engage in gun battle, but a combine team of police and military managed to coil the tension.

The police PRO said, however, the combatants in the early hours of Sunday sneaked out and burnt the two communities.

He indicated that no death and arrest have been recorded, and the combine team of police and military rushed to calm the security situation.

There have been intermittent violent clashes between the Komkombas and Chokosis in the Chereponi and Saboba districts for some time now.

The conflicts had led to the burning of communities in the two districts, which consequently resulted in the death of several people, and fleeing of some residents to neighbouring communities in Togo.

Meanwhile, five persons have been arrested by a combined team of police military personnel, and 24 cartridges and two single-barrelled guns have been retrieved from the suspects.

FROM YAKUBU ABDUL-MAJEED, SABOBA