BBC NEWS | In Pictures | In pictures: Burying a Ghanaian king

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Thursday, 13 April 2006, 12:13 GMT 13:13 UK

In pictures: Burying a Ghanaian king

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The state funeral for the Dagbon king of northern Ghana was attended by many elders draped with brightly coloured cloths over the shoulders as part of ceremonial dress.

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Lorry-loads of youths also turned up for the burial of the late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, which took place four years after he was murdered in a dispute between rival royal clans.

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His beheading unleashed a wave of violence that led to the imposition of a state of emergency, so security was tight and police searched for weapons from potential trouble-makers.

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On the morning of the burial, youth groups from the opposing factions of the Andani and Abudu clans clashed smashing up this vehicle.

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Many mourners sported T-shirts bearing the image of the late king, who was on the throne for 28 years. Vendors made money selling the T-shirts by the hundreds.

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The dignitaries at the ceremony included those who mediated an end to the royal impasse. It has taken four years for them to agree on a regent.

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A soldier stood guard amidst sandbags, with the mausoleum in the background, as elaborate preparations for the funeral continued inside the palace...

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... where women cooked up huge pots of spicy vegetable soup and the traditional tuozaafi meal for the visitors who came to pay their last respects to the Ya-Na.

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Country profile: Ghana (11 Jan 06 | Country profiles )