Citizens of the Upper East Region have been urged to regard finding lasting peace in Bawku and other flash points in the region as a shared responsibility. 'The Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) would continue to give the necessary support and encouragement to help bring total and comprehensive peace to Bawku. The Regional Minister Mr Mark Owen Woyongo, during the opening session of a workshop on peace building held in Sandema in the Builsa District, stressed that the region, especially the Bawku area, is a cauldron of constant disputes and conflicts. The workshop was under the theme: "Sustainable Peace for Sustainable Development: Challenges, Roles and Responsibilities." It was the initiative of the Tamale Ecclesiastical Pastoral Conference (TEPPCON), an NGO, and funded by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAF), a German NGO. "In fact, barely twenty-four hours of my assumption of duty last month, I was given my first baptism of fire when I had to rush to Bawku to talk to the two sides to the conflict to put a stop to the resurgence of violence," he said. He indicated 'that conflicts in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions have become endemic and have diverted a lot of attention and resources that should have been channeled to productive ventures, rather than towards the management of, the conflicts. Mr. Woyongo called on participants at the workshop to discuss and identify the potential sources of conflicts in their communities so as to have a data base of sources of conflicts in the region. "It is when you are armed with information on the potential sources of conflicts that, you can attempt to nip them in the bud before they escalate," he noted. The Senior Programmes Manager of KAF, Mr. Isaac Owusu-Mensah, on his part, observed that as a developing country, Ghana is confronted with several structural development difficulties such as unfair world trade systems, poor infrastructure, minimal human capital, disease and genital health challenges, extreme forms of poverty and natural disasters. "It is therefore sickening to hear and see destructions at unimaginable magnitude made to public and private property at the least provocation. This unpardonable behavior must be condemned by all well-meaning Ghanaians, irrespective of political persuasions and orientation," he noted. He advised the youth not to allow themselves to be exploited by politicians to accomplish their selfish interests which have negative impacts on the socio¬economic development of the people. "I urge you to be discerning youth, various politicians would canvass for your support and votes, as well as encourage the sowing of bitter seeds amongst your friends and families, do not succumb to their egoistic aspirations," he indicated. Source: Enquirer