Togbe Tsedze Atakora VII, Paramount Chief of the Alavanyo Traditional Area on Thursday appealed to government to prevail on Nkonya to table its proposals to help bring about a peaceful closure to the centuries old land dispute.
Togbe Tsedze made the call at a Press Conference in Ho "in the light of current tensions between Alavanyo and Nkonya communities during the just-ended Christmas and New Year festivities."
He said a landmark permanent peace between the two neighbours would have been achieved in 2009 had Nkonya tabled proposals on how to deal with the piece of land which has been identified as the source of contention between the two communities since 1923.
He said representatives of Nkonya pulled out from the last meeting under the auspices of the Mediation Committee in 2009 to consult their people and have since not returned with their proposals.
Togbe Tsedze said Alavanyo on the other hand put forward three proposals saying "the disputed peace of land could be vested in the state which should convert it to a forest reserve to serve the wellbeing of the entire nation."
He said the disputed land could also be taken over by mutually agreed private organisation or NGOs where together with the two communities, we would determine the use of the land for a project(s) to serve the social, educational, cultural, scientific and economic wellbeing of the good people especially the youth of Alavanyo and Nkonya" or that "the overlapping area-to be called the area in dispute - be divided equally between the two communities.
He said the stalemate has enabled criminal elements to perpetuate criminal activities instilling fear into law abiding women, children and men who go about their farming activities peacefully."
Togbe Tsedze said both communities must put aside the pain they have suffered from the loss of their compatriots and secure permanent peace for present and future generations.
He reminded the people of Nkonya of the traditional rites of reconciliation and re-unification performed by the two traditional areas on 31 May 2006 which binds them to resolve their differences through dialogue and respect for one another rather than resort to armed conflict.
Togbe Tsedze appealed to the media to do painstaking investigations into happenings in the Nkonya and Alavanyo area in order to avoid creating tension through misinformation.
He denied the involvement of Alavanyo in incidents which took place in the area recently which he said were meant to justify the killing of some prominent citizens of Alavanyo, one of whom, Togbe Agbekudzi Kodzo Atoboli, 75, of was shot and killed on his farm recently.
He said the people of Alavanyo have restrained themselves from any retaliatory attacks and hoped the law enforcement agencies would conduct a thorough investigation into the incidents and deal with the culprits as the law prescribes.
On June 16, 2004 a nine-member Mediation Committee was constituted under the auspices of the Volta Regional Co-ordinating Council to help the two traditional areas to negotiate a peaceful settlement to their land dispute which had persisted since 1923.
That Committee was chaired by Very Reverend Dr Livingstone Komla Buama, former Moderator of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, with the Most Reverend Francis Anani Lodonu, Bishop of Ho Diocese of the Catholic Church, as its Vice-Chairman.
He said as part of the Peace Process, a ten-member Consultative Committee with five representatives each from Nkonya and Alavanyo was formed and its task was to serve as link between the Mediation Committee and their respective communities.
The work of the Committee was facilitated by Mr Emmanuel Bombande, the Executive Director of the West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP).