Revoke curfew on Alavanyo, Nkonya – Paramount Queen to Interior Ministry

The Paramount Queen of Alavanyo, Mamaga Ametor III, is calling on the Minister for the Interior to withdraw the curfew imposed on the Alavanyo and Nkonya townships in the Oti region.

The Minister for the Interior by an Executive Instrument renewed the curfew hours imposed on the two towns on June 23, 2024.

The curfew restricts movement within the designated area from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am.

READ ALSO: Interior Ministry Renews Alavanyo-Nkonya Curfew Hours

According to Mamaga Ametor III, despite the historical conflict, the two towns had managed to maintain peace for the past years, making the renewal of the curfew unnecessary.

“We want to move forward, We want development. Now that we are in peace, development has started coming in. The Ministry of Interior has come out to place a curfew on Alavanyo and Nkonya, which is sucking the development away.

“We want to bring development [but] now because of the curfew, the development has stopped. The Alavanyo side is centred. The Canadian Embassy has also placed an embargo on their staff not to go to Alavanyo or Nkonya to do any developmental issues because the place is not safe.

“Now there is a road between Alavanyo and Nkonya which we think, or I believe, our government should develop so that the peace continues smoothly. They have not been doing that. There is a REGSEC committee. There is a MUSEC committee in place in the region but we have not received any information from them.

“Then the minister just came up from nowhere to announce curfew in Alavanyo and Nkonya which is dwindling development in the area. So we are asking them to reverse the curfew [and] do their proper investigation. Though there was a conflict between us we have put that behind us,” she stated.

Disputed lands, rich in timber, bamboo, and cola nuts, have been the cause of ongoing violence between Alavanyo and Nkonya for several years.

It dates back to 1913 when the area was still under German control. A map was drawn by German Colonial Cartographer, Hans Gruner, in an effort to settle the dispute but it did not work.

The British also took over the land in 1920 and tried to resolve the conflict but failed.

These compelled the people of Nkonya, who claimed ownership of the land based on first come status, to take the matter to court in 1953.

Court rulings from 1953 to 1980, five in all, have all favoured Nkonya based on the Gruner map but the dispute has persisted.