48,000 Gbenyiri residents want to return home - NADMO takes steps to ensure safety
Over 48,000 displaced residents of Gbenyiri and nearby communities in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District in the Savannah Region want to return home to their farms and livelihoods, but the fear of renewed attacks is keeping them in camps.
With the farming season already underway, many say their farmlands are being destroyed and their livelihoods endangered.
Many of the victims, currently sheltered at the Sawla camp, said they did not want to remain in temporary shelters where living conditions were deteriorating, and their children were forced out of school.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic during a visit to the camp last Saturday, a victim, Mariam Alhassan, said she was desperate to return home because the season was the peak of farming activities.
“We don’t want to live here in the camp forever.
This is the time for farming, and our crops have been overrun by weeds. We want to go home, but we are afraid of what might happen,” she stressed.
Another victim, Victoria Aminu, lamented that they had “lost our farms and animals. Life here is not easy.
We are pleading with the government and the chiefs to bring peace so that we can return.”
Incident
The dispute, which started on Sunday, August 24 this year, was reportedly triggered by a disagreement over a parcel of land at Gbenyiri.
The incident escalated to about 12 communities and resulted in the loss of 31 lives and the displacement of about 48,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).
About 14,000 victims have crossed into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire to seek refuge, while thousands of others are being camped in makeshift tents at Sawla under the care of the Ghana Red Cross and NADMO.
At the Government Accountability series in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, reported that 8,000 Ghanaians had safely returned home to Gbenyiri, with 5,309 remaining under the care of Ivorian authorities.
Similarly, in Burkina Faso, the number of Ghanaian refugees decreased from 2,500 to 1,455, with both host countries expressing gratitude for Ghana’s historic hospitality to African compatriots.
Mr Ablakwa said he led a three-day mission to Cote d’Ivoire, where he assessed the situation, conveyed a message of peace from President John Dramani Mahama, and donated CFA6 million for humanitarian needs.
Security measures
To address the concerns impeding their return home, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has taken steps to ensure the safe return of all displaced persons.
It is working closely with security agencies and the Savannah Regional Coordinating Council (REGSEC) to set up temporary security posts in all the affected communities to ensure peace and stability as the return process begins.
The Savannah Regional Director of NADMO, Zakaria Mahama, told the Daily Graphic that the organisation was committed to restoring normalcy in the area following the recent disturbances.
He added that although some of the victims were willing to return to their communities, they were still afraid of possible attacks.
“Many of the displaced persons want to go back, but they are living in fear of reprisals.
That is why we are working with the security services to assure them of protection,” he said.
Mr Mahama indicated that NADMO was collaborating with the Ghana Red Cross Society, UN agencies, and other humanitarian organisations to provide relief items to the victims.
“As I speak, food, clothing, and other essentials are being supplied to ease the burden on the displaced families.
We are also considering psychosocial support for women and children who are the most affected,” he added.
Camp experience
When the Daily Graphic visited the Sawla camp, it observed that hundreds of people were still in makeshift tents.
Women were mostly seen taking care of their babies while children, barefoot and dusty, played around the camp.
Some women complained that caring for their children in such conditions was extremely difficult and appealed for more food, bedding, and health support.
Committee
Following the development, the government has set up a seven-member mediation committee with a one-month mandate to resolve the root cause of the disturbances.
The committee’s terms of reference include facilitating the safe and dignified return of displaced residents, assessing the scope and dynamics of the conflict, and evaluating losses and damages suffered.
The committee is also tasked with promoting reconciliation and dialogue, recommending sustainable peace-building mechanisms, supporting the restoration of livelihoods, and providing actionable recommendations to strengthen local institutions.
The committee is chaired by Emmanuel Habuka Bombande, an experienced peacebuilding professional and advocate.
Other members of the committee include the Member of Parliament for Asutifi South, Alhaji Collins Dauda, who is also the Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Lands and Natural Resources; the Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council, Dr George Amoh, and the Chairman of the Savannah Regional Peace Council, Rev. Fr Lazarus Annyere.
The rest are Dr Festus Aubyn from the West Africa Network for Peace-building, a lawyer and Acting Director of Women, Youth, Peace and Security Institute of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Sylvia Hormane Noagbesenu, and Prof. Ramatu Al-hassan of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Ghana.
Writer’s email: mohammed.fugu@graphic.com.gh
