Conflicts stall development and this is evident in places which have unfortunately experienced civil strife.
Today, Yendi, once a conflict-zone, is out of the woods and witnessing a rapid infrastructural development thanks to the restoration of peace following the intervention of  Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the behest of the then President Akufo-Addo.
With tarred streets, roundabouts and traffic lights, and a booming housing industry, residents are appreciating the dividends of peace, something denied them by a long period of avoidable civil disturbance.
It is this feature of Yendi today that we want replicated in Bawku, in the Upper East Region.
Until the outbreak of the inter-ethnic strife in the municipality and its environs, Bawku was an important trading centre with direct road links to Burkina Faso, Togo and Niger. Traders from the aforementioned countries took advantage of Bawku’s geographic location to do brisk business, thereby adding to the prosperity of the municipality. This was stopped by the bloody hostilities which became the new feature of Bawku.
The wisdom in engaging Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to do as he did in Dagbon, was replicated by President John Mahama when he turned to the King.
After a long journey, the end has been reached and the Asante King who obviously applied the age-old traditional approach to mediation in conflicts, has completed the assignment.
As he prepares to submit his report and recommendations to the President, our excitement is limitless, especially since the two factions expressed their desire for the return to normalcy when they assembled in Manhyia. That the two factions were adequately represented during the engagement with the King is heartwarming and reassuring.
It is our wish and prayer that when the verdict is delivered eventually, the no-love-lost relationship that has tormented Bawku for so long will be interred forever.
We implore the leadership of the two factions to sincerely work towards having their people accept the verdict that will emanate from the painstaking mediation efforts, and to work to enhance the newfound peace that will envelope Bawku hopefully.
There is always a closure to strife; for us, this is what is showing in the horizon, especially if all warring factions decide to give peace a better chance of blossoming.
Those who profit from such upheavals must let go their hold on Bawku; the people of the town have endured suffering for too long.
The youth of the two warring factions have a significant role to play in the restoration of normalcy. Here is to plead with them to listen to the good counsel of the elders by turning their back on violence.