Violent clashes between residents and herdsmen in Gbeniyiri and surrounding communities in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region have claimed the lives four individuals and five others injured.
The injured are receiving treatment at various health facilities in the area.
The violence erupted after a resident was killed during a robbery attack. In revenge, some relatives of the deceased launched an attack on herdsmen suspected to be behind the crime.
Last year, several properties were destroyed, with more than 50,000 individuals displaced due to the tension in the area. The ongoing conflict in Gbenyiri stems from a land dispute between a Gbenyiri resident and the chief’s son, which began on Saturday, August 23.
The unresolved conflict is spreading to Kalba and other parts of the district. Despite the deployment of 400 police personnel to the area to ensure law and order, clashes between the rival groups persisted.
Unknown assailants shot a middle-aged man to death near Kalba, a suburb of the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District in the Savannah Region, on Sunday, September 7.
The gunmen ambushed the deceased person and opened fire as he rode his motorcycle. According to the police, the deceased, whose identity is yet to be revealed traveled from his community, Uro to Kalba to charge his mobile phone due to the lack of power in his area.
The body of the deceased has since been deposited at the St. Anne’s Catholic Hospital in Damongo by the Ghana Police Service. The incident is amid the ongoing protracted conflict in Gbenyiri, which has claimed multiple lives.
The latest death brings the official toll from the conflict to 32.
Residents have, however, expressed fear over the security situation. Speaking to the media, a resident noted, “With this killing, who do you think will trust the system again? Some of us suspected this to happen because the guys are still around in Kalba town, and if you deceive yourself and go there, they will just end your life like this farmer. To me, this reaffirms the fears and mistrust in the system. The authorities need to do more than just talk and go”.
Meanwhile, a seven-member mediation committee has been established by the Interior Ministry in response to the ongoing land conflict in Gbenyiri in the Savannah Region.
The committee has been tasked with a one-month mandate to assist the government in finding a lasting solution to the tension in the area.
During the inauguration ceremony at the Interior Ministry in Accra, the sector Minister, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, noted that the establishment of the committee was a recommendation from the National Security Council.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohunu, alongside senior officials from the Armed Forces, Prisons Service, and Immigration Service, have already visited Kalba, Sawla, and other affected communities in efforts to bring calm to the area.
In a related development, President John Mahama has initiated steps to restore peace in the Sawla-Bole area of the Savannah Region following renewed tensions between the Gonja and Brifor communities.
Upon his return from a state visit to Singapore, the President received a full briefing from the National Security Coordinator and the Minister for the Interior on the latest developments in the conflict.
While abroad, Mr. Mahama held a telephone conversation with the King of Gonja, Yagbonwura Jira Bikunuto Jewu Soale I, during which they discussed measures to end the clashes and foster lasting peace in the area.
As part of efforts to de-escalate the situation, the President has dispatched a government delegation led by the Minister for the Interior, Hon. Muntaka Mohamed-Mubarak, to engage the Yagbonwura and other key stakeholders.
Meanwhile, security has been reinforced with the deployment of additional police and military personnel to the conflict zone. President Mahama has urged all parties to support the peace initiatives being rolled out, stressing the importance of dialogue in resolving outstanding disputes.
He has further directed the government delegation to work closely with the Regional Security Council, traditional authorities, and community leaders to ensure calm is restored and law and order upheld.
Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has assured the Overlord of Gonja, Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale I, that the government will take every necessary step to restore peace in the Sawla-Bole area.
“We have taken note of all the concerns, and we have also assured him that we will do everything humanly possible to ensure that peace will be restored. But we need his cooperation and the cooperation of all others. Surely, what talking can solve, dance cannot solve,” he stated.
“Surely, what talking can solve, dance cannot solve, so we are hoping that after all the lengthy discussion and the conclusion that we have come to, we will go and implement our part, we are hopeful that they will also listen to us and also adhere to whatever agreement that we’ve had,” he noted.
Less than a week ago, the sector minister imposed a curfew on the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba township and its surrounding communities in the Savannah Region. The curfew is in effect from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., commencing on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, and remains in place until further notice.
This measure was taken in response to the recent outbreak of conflict in the area. In addition to the curfew, there is a total ban on the possession of firearms, ammunition, or any offensive weapons. Any individual found with such items will be arrested and prosecuted.
Furthermore, no two or more persons are permitted to ride on motorbikes throughout the day, and the wearing of war regalia has also been prohibited.
Last year, intense security measures were implemented in the Bole and Sawla districts of the Savannah Region due to the chieftaincy dispute between the Bolewura and the Jahori clan.
This heightened security response followed a ruling by the Tamale High Court concerning the dispute between the Jahori and Bolewura factions.
In response to the court ruling, youths from Bole set fire to houses belonging to members of the Jahori community residing in both Bole and Sawla districts.
The devastating fires resulted in significant property losses for the affected individuals, leaving many tenants in despair and tears. In recent years, the country has witnessed a number of casualties and destruction of property arising from chieftaincy disputes.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mubarak, has also reviewed the earlier curfew hours imposed on Bawku and Nalerigu townships following recent attacks.
The previous curfew, which ran from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., has been revised to 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. The minister took this decision after receiving advice from the National Security Council.
The Bawku Municipality in the Upper East Region and the East Mamprusi Municipality in the North East Region are affected by the new directive.
The curfew has created an environment conducive for the evacuation of students from educational institutions in the affected areas, some of whom had unfortunately been targeted during the conflict.
In a statement issued on July 27, the government announced that it is stepping up its approach from peacekeeping to peace enforcement in Bawku and other affected areas due to the recent escalation of violence, which threatens to derail the peace-building process.
These heightened tensions and conflicts have had an impact on the country’s global peace ranking. Ghana has been ranked 61st out of 163 countries in the 2025 Global Peace Index (GPI), marking a continued decline in its standing on peacefulness.
The latest ranking follows a downward trajectory from 55th in 2024, 51st in 2023, and 40th in 2022.
Despite the decline, Ghana still ranks ahead of several of its West African neighbors, including Senegal (69th), Liberia (70th), and Nigeria (148th).
The Global Peace Index, compiled annually by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), measures the peacefulness of nations based on 23 indicators across three broad domains: societal safety and security, ongoing domestic and international conflict, and militarization.
