President re-imposes state of emergency in Dagbon

Ghanaian President John Kufuor on Thursday extended a state of emergency in the Dagbon Traditional Area, northern Ghana, two days after his ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) failed to secure the required 101 votes in the 200-member parliament to do so. A statement issued on Thursday by the president's press secretary, Kwabena Agyepong, said the declaration took cognisance of the reasons parliament gave for not renewing the state of emergency. The measure was imposed in the Dagbon traditional area in March 2002 following the murder of the Dagbon king Ya Na Yakubu Andani and 29 others in a chieftaincy dispute between the Andani and Abudu royal clans. In spite of several positive developments in the area, particularly, a recent declaration by the two factions in favour of a peaceful resolution of the Dagbon crisis, "there are still very delicate issues to be addressed", the statement said. These include the burial of the late king, the reconstruction of the palace and the subsequent installation of a new king. The communique said that given the "sensitive" nature of the ongoing negotiations and the advanced stage they had reached on some of the delicate matters, President Kufuor deemed it necessary that "the prevailing optimum security framework should be maintained to afford the negotiations a fair chance of success". It noted that while a year-lomh curfew in the area would be lifted, the state of emergency would continue to be enforced. Kufuor appealed to political parties, residents of the area and Ghanaians in general to adopt a nationalistic outlook on matters relating to the Dagbon Traditional Area. He gave the assurance that the government would continue to work with all interested parties on the basis of good faith to find a lasting solution to the crisis in the shortest possible time. The security agencies were closely monitoring the situation, which would be reviewed when appropriate, the communique added. Parliament has been recalled from recess to sit on Wednesday 23 April to consider the President's proclamation.