Ashanti Region: One dead, houses burnt in communal clashes
Some unidentified men on Thursday (23 February) launched a reprisal attack in Kwamekyerekrom, a farming community in the Ahafo Ano South West District of the Ashanti Region.
The assailants burnt down houses and chased residents, mostly people of Konkomba descent. The attack was in response to the suspected murder of a man in his early 30s after his relatives found his body in a nearby forest.
The area has been deserted amid the tensions. Police officers have been deployed to maintain order in the community.
A coordinator with the National Disaster Management Organization in the district, Daniel Nyamekye, confirmed to Asaase News that one person has been arrested.
“The Regional Police Commander led a delegation to the community and that included members of the district security council.”
“We have since converged the affected residents to a safe place and that is a newly constructed police post… Over 70 policemen have been deployed to the community to protect life and property but for now, I can confirm the arrest of one person who is assisting police investigations”, Nyamekye said.
A district security council meeting has been summoned to find a lasting solution to the clash.
Reporting by Jonathan Ofori in the Ashanti Region
