ACCRA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday pledged to work hard to restore peace to the conflict-prone Bawku community in the Upper East Region, the northeastern part of the country.

Mahama made the pledge during a one-day official visit to the community to assess the security situation and assure the people of the government's plans to restore peace to the area.

The president said peace in Bawku is one of his campaign promises, and it is proper for him to walk that talk, especially considering the hardships the residents have endured over the past three years, living under stress and fear due to the conflict.

"Today is exactly one week since I took office as president, and my first major assignment outside Accra (the capital of Ghana) is to assure you that we are working diligently to bring peace back to Bawku," he said. "We are putting in place the various appointments so that we can have ministers and other officials responsible for security take charge of the situation."

He also urged the community's residents to exercise restraint, assuring them of his resolve to work hard to end the conflict.

Located a few kilometers from the border with Burkina Faso, Bawku has been enmeshed in armed unrest due to a protracted chieftaincy dispute and criminal activities over the past few years. Enditem

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