Plans are under way for the establishment of a military standby force in Bawku in the Upper East Region to help maintain peace and security in the area. The establishment of the standby force has been necessitated by a chieftaincy dispute that led to a conflict between Kusasis and Mamprusis which claimed about ten lives and destroyed property in the area. The minister of the Interior, Mr Kwamena Bartels made this known in Parliament when he presented a statement to the house on the current state of affairs in Bawku. He, however, did not give details about the extent of work on the plans. The Interior Minster also indicated that the curfew that was imposed in the Bawku municipality and surrounding areas following the violence had been reviewed to start from 8pm to 5am daily. According to him, about 104 houses and five cars were completely burnt during the violence. He said as part of efforts to maintain peace and security to enable the people of Bawku live without fear, one AK47 rifle and other deadly weapons had been retrieved and urged Ghanaians not to politicize the issue as that would exacerbate tensions and aggravate the situation. Other Members of Parliament made contributions on the need for the standby force, noting that it was important to take such a measure to bring lasting peace to the area. The Member of Parliament for Zebilla, John Ndebugre, however was not enthused with the idea of establishing a military post in the area, fearing it would put the Bawku municipality under siege and frustrate efforts at arriving at an amicable solution to the crisis. Mahama Ayarigah, MP for Bawku Central, disagreed with him arguing that the military standby force would bring discipline to the area and enhance the confidence of the disputing factions in the security measures being put in place. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports indicate that two more people were killed Tuesday morning, January 29, 2007.