After Several attempts by the immediate past and present governments to search for lasting peace in Bawku, the one time commercial hub in the Upper East Region had failed, the establishment of the Bawku Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee (BIEPC) is now making tremendous impact in restoring peace to the town and its environs. Established in May 2009, with the understanding that it was the people of Bawku who can solve their own problem, the peace committee is gradually gaining the confidence of both feuding ethnic sides, the Kusasis and Mamprusis. Though the BIEPC suffered a setback when the Mamprusi faction withdrew from it in September 2009, it was invigorated when they returned to it in June 2010. The committee, with the close collaboration and appreciable cooperation from the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) as well as the people of Bawku has succeeded in bringing the two antagonists together. Other minority sides, who have been accused of fueling the conflict by supporting either the Mamprusi or Kusasi faction, have not been left out. At one of BIEPC's several fora for the youth and women and opinion leaders of the two sides in Bawku last Saturday, October 16, 2010, the Upper East Regional Minister and Chairman of REGSEC, Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo stated that government was encouraged by the increasing co-operation of the people with the security agencies, in their bid to stem the acts which are detrimental to the peace and security of the area. The REGSEC Chairman observed that until recently, it was difficult for the security agencies to get information because people were very protective of their tribesmen and would, therefore, not volunteer information. This did not help in the peace process. He was, therefore, happy, that the situation was changing as Mamprusis now give information leading to the arrest of Mamprusis, Kusasis giving information leading to the arrest of Kusasis, Mamprusis giving information leading to the arrest of Kusasis and Kusasis giving information leading to the arrest of Mamprusis. Mr. Woyongo commended the BIEPC for the pacification exercise currently going on and described it as one single effort that has enhanced the peace process. According to him, the government and other peace-loving bodies had contributed funds and logistics to help the peace committee realize its goals and that if the present peaceful atmosphere continues, REGSEC would not hesitate to recommend to the National Security to lift the curfew and the motor cycle band completely to bring relief to the people of the area. Having commended the BIEPC for issuing a statement condemning the recent shooting incident in the Municipality, and the security personnel on the ground for their prompt response to the situation, Mr. Woyongo admonished the latter to act professionally to avoid being accused of anything untoward. In their address, the Co-Chairmen of the BIEPC, Mr. Thomas Abilla and Alhaji Ibrahim Kolbilla stated that the Kumasi Round Table Consultations, which were organized in March and June this year, and attended by selected influential personalities from Bawku and other parts of the country, resulted in the drawing up of a road map for peace building in Bawku. Summarizing the cardinal issues in the agreement reached in Kumasi, the Co-Chairmen mentioned acceptance by all factions to end the conflict in Bawku, acceptance by the Mamprusis group to rejoin the BIEPC, the acceptance by all parties to undertake a joint pacification ceremony in Bawku to signify the end of conflict, the acceptance by all participants to prevail on all Bawku people to use due processes of the law to resolve all disputes including chieftaincy, instead of violence, and the decision by the Upper East Members of Parliamentary Caucus to donate an amount of GH¢1,000.00 each for peace building activities. The Co-Chairmen said the MPs have since fulfilled that promise and that had enabled the BIEPC to start with the pacification process. Alhaji Ibrahim Kolbilla said but for the work of the BIEPC, the recent gunfire would have sparked off series of response from other parts of the town and beyond, leading to outbreak of fighting and an intensification of the curfew imposed on the citizenry. "The ground softening activities of the BIEPC has proved fruitful and the people are responding to our persuasion to give peace a chance. The pacification process is also being claimed to have helped", the Co-Chairmen stated. They also congratulated the security personnel for smartly dealing with the recent gunfire incident and said they did not only mobilize to get to the trouble spot immediately but they also managed to apprehend some suspects and so discovered and retrieved sophisticated riffles from a hide-out in town. The participants at the forum, who were mainly women and the youth drawn from the Kusasi and Mamprusi factions as well as some members from identifiable sections within the municipality, made up of other minority groups. Source: The Ghanaian Chronicle