Onion Market

'4 killed in Agbogbloshie Market' reports the DAILY GRAPHIC on 26 August 2009. The men were "butchered to death". According to the paper, others received machete and gunshot wounds. On 28 August the paper writes 'Veep condemns violence at Agbogbloshie'. Violent clashes have taken place in this poor part of Ghana's capital. It is reported they were between groups of supporters of different parties (NDC vs. NPP, the dead men seem to belong to NPP and are also believed to be of the ethnic groups of Andanis and Abudus, according to the paper). Agbogbloshie is a slum area in Accra with many inhabitants who migrated from the northern parts of the country. It has a big onion market. Due to the dense population and steady influx combined with poverty the living conditions are getting worse. There seems to be little respect for regulations but also not enough law enforcement. This concerns a large number of Accra inhabitants. The slum "Sodom and Gomorrah" apparently now houses 40.000 people with inadequate water and sanitation facilities. The adjacent Korle-Bu lagoon is heavily polluted and blocked with all sorts of human waste. The Regional Minister has now announced that the government wants to evict people from the area and pull their dwellings down for good.