Tongo (U/E)-Ghana, June 23, GNA – The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has admonished Ghanaian youth to resist the mouthwatering propaganda of violent extremists to destabilise the peace and security of the country.
“Let us not allow ourselves to be misguided by the propaganda of extremists’ groups, who seek to divide us along ethnic, religious and ideological lines. We must work together to prevent the spread of extremists’ ideologies and to contain any outbreak of violence that may arise,” the Commission said.
Ms Dorcas Atia, the Talensi District Director of the NCCE gave the admonishment at Tongo in the Talensi District, Upper East Region, when the Commission with funding support from the European Union engaged about 50 young people in the district to raise awareness on violent extremism.
It was part of the Commission’s awareness creation and sensitisation efforts dubbed, “Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE).
It was aimed at preventing and containing violent extremism through the promotion of social cohesion, peace and tolerance in Northern Ghana and other hotspots.
Ms Atia said although neighbouring Mali, Togo, Niger and Burkina Faso had experienced extremists’ attacks, it was relieving that Ghana was still safe but warned that if the internal conflicts were not managed properly, it could give opportunity to the extremists to explore.
She said due to unemployment and other economic difficulties, the youth were vulnerable to recruitment into extremists’ groups and underscored the need to be vigilant to address potential threats to security.
“As we all know, violent extremism poses a significant threat to peace, security and stability which has the potential to tear apart the fabric of our society as it can lead to loss of life, destruction of properties and displacement of people.
“As young people, you are the future leaders of our nation and as such, you have a crucial role to play in preventing and containing violent extremism in this country. You are the ones who can make a difference by promoting peace, unity and tolerance in our communities,” she said.
Mr Felix Frederick Amenga-Etego, a Member of the Mediation Network, Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocesan Development Organisation (NABOCADO), said land and chieftaincy disputes were key drivers of internal conflicts in the Upper East Region that needed to be addressed urgently.
He said young people were mostly involved in such conflicts, including political activities, to cause destruction, adding that it was about time the youth understood that they needed peace more than the elderly because they still had life ahead of them.
He urged the youth to use dialogue, mediation and negotiation instead of violence to address their difference, to sustain peace in their communities, to promote sustainable development.
Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Edward Yaw Asante, the Bolgatanga Municipal Crime Officer who also supervises the Talensi District Police Station, urged the youth to report crimes to the Police instead of taking the law into their own hands.
He also urged the youth to be on the lookout and report any suspicious movements in their communities to the police to help flush out potential extremists to preserve the prevailing peace.
The youth in a communiqué, read by Mr Rockson Bukari, President of the Talensi Rock Youth Association, resolved to pursue peace and stability in their respective communities through the use of non-violence means to resolve their differences and eschew partisanship and activities that had the potential to breed conflicts.
