Catholic Bishops Sound Alarm: Chieftaincy and Ethnic Clashes Endanger Ghana’s Fragile Peace
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has issued a stark warning on the escalating tide of chieftaincy and ethnic conflicts, declaring them a profound threat to national unity and progress as violence displaces thousands and cripples communities in northern and Volta regions.
In a poignant address at the GCBC’s 2025 Plenary Assembly in Damongo on Monday, President Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi decried the “disturbing resurgence” of hostilities, spotlighting the Bawku crisis as the most lethal flashpoint.
“Persistent chieftaincy and ethnic conflicts continue to disturb the peace of several regions,” he stated. “The Bawku crisis remains among the most protracted and devastating, claiming between 200 and 300 lives since renewed hostilities in late 2021.
The Upper East town’s longstanding feud between Kusasi and Mamprusi factions—rooted in colonial-era chieftaincy manipulations and land disputes—has intensified since October 2024, with at least 58 deaths reported in the first months alone, including four children and a Kusasi chief alongside three high-school students in July.
Recent escalations, such as the October 24 killing of two women and two men within 24 hours, have prompted intensified military patrols and arrests, yet curfews from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. persist, shuttering schools, markets, and hospitals.
Accusations of military overreach, including the July deaths of six civilians and the torching of MP Mahama Ayariga’s residence, have fueled distrust, with Kusasi lawmakers demanding apologies and probes.
Beyond Bawku, Rev. Gyamfi cataloged a litany of simmering disputes: Yendi’s Abudu-Andani chieftaincy rift, a colonial legacy that erupted into the 2002 assassination of Ya Na Yakubu Andani II and lingers with sporadic violence;
Bimbilla’s intra-Nanumba succession war since 1999, dividing “blacks” and “whites” in deadly clashes that prompted curfew renewals;
Nkonya-Alavanyo land feud in Volta Region, tracing to a 1913 German map and flaring in the 1990s–2000s with property destruction and fatalities, despite media-led peace blueprints;
and the Doba-Kandiga boundary skirmishes in the north, claiming six lives including a centenarian in recent renewals.
These “flashpoints” have repeatedly paralyzed social services, exacerbating poverty and underdevelopment.
The bishops highlighted the humanitarian fallout: shattered families, internal displacements numbering in the thousands, and a refugee influx straining host communities.
Since 2022, over 15,000 Burkinabè—fleeing Sahel jihadist insurgencies—have crossed into northern Ghana, swelling to 17,300 registered asylum-seekers by late 2024, with 9,625 biometrically processed by February 2025 under prima facie status.
UNHCR supports settlements in Tarikom and Zini, but locals in impoverished areas shoulder much of the burden with scant aid, facing 100% household food insecurity among refugees per a January 2025 PLOS One survey.
Rev. Gyamfi called for collaborative action: “Sustainable peace requires both justice and compassion.” He implored the government, traditional leaders, and religious bodies—including the Asantehene’s ongoing mediations since 2023—to tackle root causes like arms proliferation and elite mobilization, while urging youth engagement and media roles in de-escalation.
The GCBC’s plea aligns with broader concerns over inequality and corruption eroding Ghana’s moral fabric, as voiced in their plenary communique.
As President John Dramani Mahama’s administration navigates these fissures—echoing colonial borders’ enduring scars—the bishops’ cry underscores a peril: without equitable resolution, Ghana’s vaunted stability risks unraveling into balkanization, robbing future generations of harmony.
