Two Ethnic Groups Clash At Sodom And Gomorrah

Unesay calm is prevailing at Sodom and Gomorrah, a slum community in Accra, following a clash between two ethnic groups which resulted in the death of three persons. The incident, which occurred last Wednesday morning, brought business activities in the community to a temporary halt as the residents were gripped by fear. Although personnel from the Ghana Police Service have been deployed to maintain law and order, some residents have begun to relocate. When the Daily Graphic visited the community yesterday, some residents were spotted conveying their belongings into a small mini-bus. A 38-year-old woman, Madam Bee, told the Daily Graphic that she was relocating from the community because she expected reprisal attacks when the police left the area. �I don�t care how long the police stay here but I know that immediately they leave there will be an act of revenge. I don�t want my family to be caught in it,� she said. Wednesday�s incident A misunderstanding between two feuding factions degenerated into violence about 10 a.m. last Wednesday, and in the process three young men believed to be in their early 30s lost their lives. The incident left scores of people injured and properties such as motorbikes, tricycles and houses destroyed. The bodies of the deceased, whose identities are yet to be established, have been deposited at the Police Hospital mortuary in Accra. A leader of one of the groups, identified only as Hanan and popularly known as �Appeals Court� or �Atsire�, meaning War Lord, was said to have wielded a pump action gun, while in the ensuing clash his followers held machetes and other offensive weapons. The police said two persons had been detained in connection with the incident to assist with investigation. Horrific scene According to an eyewitness, Abdul Rahim Yulp, the fight ensued when the two ethnic groups clashed over the ownership of a quantity of scrap metal. He said the leader of one of the groups, in the course of a heated argument, slapped a member of the other group, adding that �suddenly the whole place turned bloody, as people started throwing stones and sticks�. According to another eyewitness, Gifty Dumba, some young men invaded the shop of the leader of the other group and destroyed items in the shop, after which they proceeded to his house to destroy his property. That, she said, infuriated the second group, who led a team of young men to attack the first group. Police presence A team of policemen, led by the Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police Mr Christian Tetteh Yohuno, visited the scene. The Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ms Afia Tenge, told the Daily Graphic that the police would patrol the area to avert further incidents. Meanwhile, calm has been restored in the area.