By Peter Agengre
Member of Parliament for Bawku Central Constituency in the Upper East Region, Hon. Mahama Ayariga has appealed to the feuding factions in the Bawku conflict to stop the innocent killings of Bissas.
At the 2023 Zekula festival by the Bissa people at Kulugungu in the Pusiga District, Hon. Ayariga noted that the Bissas in the last few months have suffered some attacks from unknown people who may belong to either of the factions in the Bawku conflict and called for their exclusion in the conflict.
“The Bissa community is one of the very integral and important set in the Kusaug Traditional Area. It’s a tribe that is significant in terms of numbers and their contributions to the development of the Bawku Municipality.
I therefore want to use this occasion to appeal to all of us not to drag the Bissa community into the conflict, and the problem that we are already trying to resolve,” he appealed.
Mr. Ayariga further appealed to the general public to assist government and the people concerned to resolve the Bawku conflict for peace and development to return to the area.
I want to further appeal to the feuding factions in the Bawku conflict “not to try and drag the Bissas into an already bad situation so that we can work together for peace to prevail.”
“Zekula” simply means unity in the Bissa language. It was organized by the Bissa Development Association. The festival is always celebrated annually for all Bissas both in and outside Pusiga District and those in diaspora irrespective of their clan, location or nationality to meet for familiarization and deliberations to propel development in the communities.
This year’s Zekula festival was celebrated on the theme, Promoting Peaceful Co-existence with neighbouring ethnic groups through culture.
