The West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP), has launched the regional election monitoring group for the northern region, to oversee the conduct of peaceful elections.
The membership of the group comprise the regional peace Council, the NCCE and some civil society organisations.
Addressing the group through zoom before the launch, the Executive Director for WANEP, Chukwuemeka Eze, emphasised the importance of identifying early warning signals and taking steps to address them before they escalate into full-blown conflicts.
He stressed that, Ghana remains an Oasis of peace in the subregion and every effort must be made to keep the nation united and peaceful before, during and after the December polls.
Mr. Eze also called on the citizenry to rise up to the occasion and consolidate Ghana’s position as a beacon of democracy in the West African subregion.
He revealed that the group will undertake “response to violent threats through mediation and soft diplomacy among affected parties and individuals”.
The launch of the regional election monitoring group in Tamale follows the launch of a national response team in Accra a couple of weeks ago. The project is part of a larger Program by WANEP dubbed: Election Monitoring, Analysis and Management (EMAM) across eleven countries in West Africa.
The Project, among other things, seeks to identify and manage electoral violence and prevent same from escalating into full-blown conflicts.
The Northern Regional Chairman of the Peace Council, Rev. Philip Naameh, who read a speech on behalf of the Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saed, appealed to residents of the region to avoid politicians who call them to violence. He noted that conflicts do not benefit anyone and only retards development.
Rev. Philip Naameh entreated the chiefs and people of the region to focus on the development of the area and demand from politicians their fair share of the national cake. He urged stakeholders to be active throughout the electioneering period to ensure peace at the end of the exercise.
“To be effective in our security provision for the December elections, the critical role and partnership of other State institutions like the national peace council, which has religious, traditional, Civic society representation is once again crucial,” he emphasised.
By: Murtala Issah.
