Former Minister of State at the Interior Ministry in the NPP administration, Nana Obiri Boahen says the solution to the protracted chieftaincy conflict in Bawku lies in both parties respecting various 1974 court rulings on the matter. He says government must also stay neutral in addressing the conflict and others in parts of the country, including the Dagbon chieftaincy dispute. A long-standing chieftaincy dispute has been raging between the Kussasis and Mamprusis resulting in loss of lives and property. The most recent string of violence erupted on New Year’s Eve in 2008 and has yet to cease despite several interventions by government. President Mills last month got the feuding factions to agree to a peace pact when he visited the Upper East Region, but that was short-lived as the clashes resumed only hours after his intervention and left three people dead. Nana Obiri Boahen told Luv News the NPP administration set out plans to implement a roadmap to peace but could not achieve much because of what he described as politicking by the then opposition NDC. Meanwhile, the Bawku Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee says it is upset by the recent violence that caused the death of three persons and destroyed valuable property. Chairman of the committee, Thomas Abilba appealed to the people of the Bawku Municipality to exercise restraint and avoid acts that can inflame passions and cause further violence. Story by Elton John Brobbey