Security analysts have urged, Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, to step down from a process to end the renewed conflict in Chereponi.
Dr Emmanuel Kwesi Aning and Dr Chukwuemeka Eze cite perceptions that the Minister may be biased towards one of the factions as the basis for their advice.
The Defense Minister, who is a Konkomba – one of the two factions in the long-drawn-out conflict – has been accused of using the military to back his Konkomba tribe against the Chokosis.
The Minister has admitted that his association with the Konkomba tribe has festered the perception of bias but told Joy News his hands are clean.
He said he is committed to bringing peace to the region and vowed to use his office to achieve that.
But speaking on PM Express on Monday, Dr Eze, who is Executive Director of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) said the Minister’s clear intentions notwithstanding, he must step down from the Chereponi mediation process.
“The moment one of the parties sees you as bias the best thing is to take the back seat,” he stressed on the nightly current affairs programme that airs on the Joy News channel on MultiTV.
“Because this is a conflict that has become almost intractable and stories have turned into myths, and the myths have solidified over time, it is crucial that whoever leads that process is perceived to be totally neutral and unblemished.
Unending conflict
The clashes in April this year displaced some 1, 860 residents, according to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) estimates.
The long-standing conflict in the town has been blamed on the government’s inability to adequately resource police to deal with the fluid security situation.
Related: Police,military deployed to crack down on Chereponi warmongers
Police have been appealing for logistics such as motorbikes to access remote parts of the district where gunmen wreak havoc on residents, mostly women and children.
Politicians must not mediate
Mr Emmanuel Kotin, Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Security and Counter-Terrorism, also said Mr Nitiwul must withdraw from the mediation process, not because of the perceived bias, but because he is a politician.
He wants the Minister to get goodwill ambassadors to boost the peace process.