Mr Austin Gamey, a leading ADR consultant said that the Alavanyo- Nkonya conflict which has existed for almost a decade can be resolved within the period of two weeks if the parties are willing and ready to be helped by Professional Mediation with a specific professionally facilitated process.
This he explained can be achieved when the two factions are given the opportunity to select an impartial professional mediator of their choice to facilitate the process
He said that his estimation of two weeks as a maximum time for a solution to be reached is as a result of the consideration for an engagement on the side of the Nkonya’s and the Alavanyo’s before the main mediation session begins.
Mr Gamey made this revelation in an interview with ADR Daily following an escalation of the conflict on Wednesday that left two dead in the Volta Region.
According to him, the conflict which started as a land dispute has crossed the red line into what can be described as a crisis and such problems cannot be resolved through the court system.
It is his observation that many people including ,mediators, the Peace Council and the Law Court have made effort to settle the dispute without luck, a situation which he attributed to the fact that the parties have not voluntarily chosen a facilitator of their own, as it is expected in the employment of Appropriate Dispute Resolution for such cases.
Land dispute is a very volatile issue and requires high caliber mediators who are professionally astute in dealing with such matters.
Meanwhile, the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Ambrose Dery, on Wednesday renewed the curfew hours imposed on Alavanyo and Nkonya townships starting from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am.
ADR Daily.
