Asantehene leads Bawku mediation at Manyhia Palace

 The mediation talks to resolve the Bawku conflict have commenced at the Jubilee Auditorium of the Manhyia Pal­ace, the seat of the Golden Stool’s occupant, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who serves as the sole mediator of the conflict.

At exactly 12:21 PM on Tuesday, one of the factions, believed to be the Mamprusis, arrived at the venue in a sprinter bus under heavy securi­ty presence.

The meeting is expected to be conducted in two phases, with each group appearing separately. The Mamprusis’ session will be followed by the Kusasis.

Key stakeholders from the con­flict area began arriving in Kumasi on Monday ahead of these crucial talks.

For the next three days (April 29 to May 1, 2025), the atmosphere will be highly charged with mediation ef­forts aimed at resolving the conflict.

Interestingly, scores of journalists and media practitioners gathered at the Manhyia Palace on Monday in anticipation of the meeting, only to later discover that the day was reserved for the arrival of key stake­holders from the conflict area.

From all indications, the media­tion sessions will not be open to the public.

The Asantehene agreed to medi­ate the Bawku conflict, which has resulted in numerous deaths, during a recent meeting with a government delegation led by Defence Minis­ter, Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Interior Minister, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.

During this meeting, the Asantehene expressed deep concern about the conflict and its potential to undermine the country’s unity and progress.

The discussions addressed the ongoing conflict in Bawku in the Upper East Region, which has caused many casualties, displaced thousands of people, and hindered the area’s development.

The Asantehene called on all parties involved to set aside their differences and work toward finding a peaceful solution.

One notable achievement of the Asantehene had been his ability to employ traditional diplomacy in resolving conflicts and brokering peace across the country, earning him the accolade of “King Solo­mon” for solving decade-long disputes.

Notably, the Asante­hene previously led a Committee of Em­inent Chiefs that facilitated negotia­tion and mediation talks between the Andani and Abudu royal families, imple­menting a roadmap for peace restoration in the Kingdom of Dagbon.

The Asantehene is viewed as the ideal leader for the conflict resolution process due to his reverence, leadership qualities, and im­partiality.

The government has acknowledged the piv­otal role the As­antehene could play in re­solving the conflict through traditional means, as he had been instrumental in leading traditional approaches to chieftaincy disputes.

The Bawku conflict is a long­standing ethnic and territorial dispute in Ghana’s Upper East Region, specifically in the Bawku Municipality.

The conflict centres on a dispute between the Kusasi and Mamprusi ethnic groups over the ownership of the Bawku area.

The Kusasis claim to be the origi­nal inhabitants, while the Mamprusis argue that they were granted control of the land by British colonial au­thorities. Another aspect fuelling the conflict relates to chief­taincy matters.

These tensions have intensified competition for resources such as land, water, and economic opportu­nities.

The conflict originated in the 1950s during the colonial era when British authorities attempted to demarcate the boundary between Kusasi and Mamprusi territories.

It escalated in the 1980s, with clashes resulting in loss of lives and property, and continued into the 2000s with periodic violence.

In 2022, the conflict flared again with reported clashes between the two groups, causing deaths and injuries.

The ongoing clashes had dis­placed thousands of people, forcing many to flee their homes and seek shelter in nearby towns and villages.

There are reports of human rights abuses, including killings, injuries, and arrests, allegedly committed by both sides.

Successive governments had intervened repeatedly to resolve the conflict, including deploying security forces and establishing investigative committees

 FROM KINGSLEY E. HOPE, KUMASI

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