Peace is defined as a state of tranquility and state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom.

It is the belief of many in Ghana that naming their communities, organizations and even children "Peace" would have the semblance of the abstract word playing out in their lives. However, residents of Peace Town rather have a contrast story worth sharing.

Some residents of Peace town carrying gallons of water about to cross a bridge over one of the tributaries of River Jei

Peace Town, a developing  community in Ngleshie Amanfro of  the Ga South Municipal Assembly, was carved out as a peaceful and calm community anyone would want to boast of, not to mention its green environment, by virtue of being geographically located close to the Densu River popularly referred to as the Weija Lake.

                                  An aerial view of Peace town 

The residents there are predominantly artisans and self-employers who ply their trade either in Accra or preferably Kasoa due to its proximity.

The community which lies in the northeastern part of Kasoa, is cut off from the main Kasoa suburb by another river called Jei. This has made it a hectic and daunting task for residents to commute between the town and Kasoa to transact daily business that would put food on their table.

A taxi approaches from the location of the new bridge which is under construction

Residents have to trek a long winding route for two hours to get to Kasoa, when the same journey could be made within 20 minutes had a bridge been constructed over the Jei River.

 Peace town residents fish in a tributary of river Jei while cattle wade into the water to drink 

To compound this headache, their name Peace is now a mirage. The true meaning of peace has eluded these residents as they face myriad of problems such as violent clashes over lands, armed robbery attacks, water scarcity, unavailability of access roads, and poor health care.

           A commercial vehicle offloading passengers to cross the makeshift bridge over to Peace town

With this glaring hardship, the residents have come to accept that the name of the community does not reflect what is going on in the community. They are therefore calling for heavy security presence to restore its true identity – peace!

                          Even a mongrel questions the safety of the bridge       

Hell on earth is how residents describe the once peaceful town. Residents there now live in fear as persistent robbery attacks and land disputes gradually become part of their daily lives.

According to the residents there has not been a single week without armed robbers attacking them. They are living in despair. Persons who for some reasons would have to leave home at dawn get attacked on their way and are robbed of their money and other valuable items.

                        One of the Peace town residents who was attacked by armed robbers

They also want Fulani herdsmen to remove their cattle from the area since they are compelled to share the only source of drinking water with cattle.

                 A Fulani herd boy with his cattle

Peace Town residents are not new to floods as the Jei River which is a tributary of River Densu easily overflows when it rains. Daily activity and children’s education are affected by this recurring phenomenon.

                           A girl trying to climb onto the makeshift bridge 

The residents claimed the situation has brought untold hardship to them. It is difficult to cover a long distance everyday especially when dealing with an emergency which sometimes becomes fatal, they narrated.

Apparently ignored by state authorities, residents contributed money to construct a makeshift bridge over the Jei River to enable them crossover to Kasoa within a short time.

          A nursing mother carrying a load in addition to her baby, attempts to cross the bridge

Unfortunately, this effort could not alleviate their problem as the makeshift bridge keeps submerging any time the river overflows.

They can only use the dilapidated wooden bridge only on dry seasons.

In fact basic social amenities such as potable water, community health centres and police posts are alien to them.

Mr Felix Lartey, a businessman who runs the leading supermarket in the community said what they go through in the hands of criminals makes the name Peace a figment of imagination.

                                    Boys fetching water from a contaminated source

Though he has not been attacked before, he recounted an attack on a next door neighbour a day before,  when robbers made away with cash and other valuable belongings.

We can only live in peace if there is heavy security presence in the community, he prayed.

Paul Nuabekye, a final year Senior High School student said staying in the community as a student is very difficult since access to water and roads are simply not available and the only source of water here is shared with cattle.

                                                       

According to Paul, any time river Jei overflows he is forced to abandon classes for weeks while his colleagues are in class learning.

He said there have been instances where he had to perch with friends because he closed from school to only realise that the river had submerged the wooden bridge making it absolutely impassable.

 

                        Fish in the up stream of river Jei 

A landlord who pleaded anonymity said his land was encroached upon and when he questioned the encroachers it turned violent and they later threatened to kill him if stepped foot on the land.

He said land dispute is common there because landowners engage in multiple sales of land which always result in violence.

He therefore appealed to the Inspector General of Police to set up a police post in the community to restore peace that will reflect its name.

                         Cattle grazing on the banks of river Jei

In an interview with the assembly member of the area, Zacharia Mohamed Ali, he expressed worry about the unpleasant situation there.

He said the Ga South Municipal Assembly is working hard to complete a new bridge which he claimed was about 80 percent complete.

 

The Assemblyman said he is in consultation with the police to begin night patrols in the community.

He however advised the residents to form watchdog committees as a measure to protect the community.

Mohammed Ali was confident the problems confronting residents of Peace Town will be over soon. What remains unclear however, is how soon relief will get to the residents.

Proposed land for the construction of Peace Town market and lorry park