Otumfuo Osei Tutu II
OTUMFUO OSEI Tutu II, the Asantehene, has called for calm in Bawku as the mediation process to ensure lasting peace in the volatile area gradually comes to conclusion.
He reportedly made the call after successfully meeting the two feuding factions in the protracted chieftaincy issue at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region, yesterday.
Final Report
Otumfuo also said he has listened to both parties and would write his report and liaise with the presidency before the outcome of the mediation process is finally declared.
Significantly, yesterday was the first time that representatives of Kusasis and Mamprusis, the two feuding parties, were meeting face-to-face since the peace process commenced.
Previous Meetings
According to sources in the palace, in the previous meetings, Otumfuo, who is leading the mediation process, met the two factions separately and listened to their side of the story.
During those separate meetings, both the Mamprusis and Kusasis were said to have narrated their rich history and why they believe that they own Bawku to the Asantehene.
Yesterday’s Meeting
The meeting was held behind closed doors, but sources at the palace said the two factions behaved well and also displayed signs that they are committed to ensuring peace in Bawku.
The sources disclosed that, for the first time, both factions were made to narrate their history to the hearing of the other, in the presence of the Asantehene and other dignitaries.
The mediation process, they said, is gradually coming to a close and to ensure fairness, Otumfuo decided that the two parties should state their case in the presence of each other.
According to the sources, Otumfuo doesn’t want the situation whereby one party would complain of not being fairly treated after the case had been resolved, hence yesterday’s meeting.
Heavy Security
In a related development, there were heavy military and police presence in and around the Manhyia Palace, the venue of the crunch meeting, to help ensure law and order.
All the attendants of the meeting were also screened and thoroughly checked before they were allowed access to the meeting venue, which was closed to journalists.
While the meeting was in progress in the palace, supporters of both the Mamprusis and Kusasis were standing close to the Manhyia Palace and anxiously waiting for the outcome.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah, Kumasi