SOURCE: GRAPHICONLINE
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, is leading a final effort to make peace in the long-running Bawku chieftaincy conflict this weekend.
In a high-stakes diplomatic effort to end one of Ghana’s most protracted and deadly chieftaincy conflicts, Otumfuo is poised to convene the final mediation session between the feuding factions of Bawku on November 30 and December 1, 2025, at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.
The upcoming dialogue, which both the Manhyia Palace and the National Peace Council (NPC) describe as the “concluding session” of the Asantehene’s mediation initiative, represents the most promising breakthrough in decades of cyclical violence that has claimed many lives, displaced families, and crippled the socio-economic fabric of the Upper East Region municipality.
Legacy of conflict
The Bawku conflict, rooted in complex chieftaincy disputes between the Kusasi and Mamprusi communities, traces back to colonial times and has transformed the once-buoyant border town into a flashpoint of armed violence.
The conflict has seen cycles of violent clashes leading to the implementation of curfews, military deployments and the closure of businesses.
Hundreds have been killed directly as a result of the conflict, forcing a decline in economic activities, professionals declining postings to the area, and residents fleeing the area.
