Christian Tetteh Yohuno, the Inspector General of Police, leads a high-powered team of operations, investigation, and intelligence officers to Bawku in the Upper East Region to assess the security situation on the ground

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Bawku conflict claims 300 lives - Institutions, workers flee from danger

Gilbert Mawuli Agbey Apr - 11 - 2025 , 12:00 10 minutes read

The protracted Bawku conflict spanning several decades has claimed over 300 lives since November 2021, leaving a devastating impact on the socio-economic lives of the thousands of people living in the towns and adjoining districts.

The nagging dispute between the Kusasis and Mamprusis seems to be eroding all the gains chalked up by the municipality over the years, and turning Bawku into a ghost town due to heightened insecurity.

The impact of the crisis has caused hundreds of private and public sector workers, including teachers and nurses, to flee to other districts for fear of their lives since they no longer feel safe to live and work in any part of the town.

Latest incident

Last Wednesday, a renewed clash between some irate youth and some personnel of the Ghana Police Service led to the death of one person, with four others severely injured from gunshot wounds.

A police vehicle that was set ablaze

The incident is said to have occurred when some angry youth attempted to prevent some market women who were on their way to one of the markets from engaging in their daily trading activities.

A source indicated that the death of one of the youth infuriated the others to retaliate by burning nearby police establishments, including the official residence of the Divisional Police Commander.

In the process, a police vehicle with registration number GP 925 was set ablaze by the irate youth, who also destroyed some police checkpoints.

IGP’s visit

In a swift response, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno, yesterday led a strong delegation, made up of operation, investigation and intelligence officers, to Bawku to attain first-hand knowledge and assess the security situation on the ground.

A release signed by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Grace Ansah-Akrofi, said one person, identified as Fuseini Iddrisu, unfortunately lost his life during the clash between the police and some youth last Wednesday.

It said five other persons, including a police officer and an immigration officer, sustained gunshot injuries and were admitted to hospital.

The statement said that while in Bawku, the IGP and his team would commiserate with the deceased family, visit the victims on admission and reach out to officers who lost their property as a result of the violence.

“We would like to assure the public that the Ghana Police Service will continue to work with the Ghana Armed Forces, chiefs, opinion leaders and all other stakeholders to ensure security, law and order in Bawku,” it stated.

Monitoring

Having monitored events in the once busy Bawku town, the Daily Graphic can confirm that the unending conflict is killing local businesses and driving many people away, including investors.

Schools, health facilities, private businesses and transport operators, among others, are bearing the brunt of the conflict as pupils, teachers, health workers, drivers, and other individuals are unable to go about their daily activities.

Sadly, all sectors of the local economy — from health, education, trade and commerce, finance and transport — have been heavily hit by the conflict, thereby destroying the source of livelihoods of thousands of residents.

Schoolchildren, teachers, nurses and staff of the various decentralised departments have been negatively affected as they cannot go about their normal duties due to the volatile situation.

Many residents, including men, women, the aged and children, have also lost their lives as a result, a situation that has brought pain and anguish to many families in the municipality.
On a daily basis, residents suffer psychological and emotional trauma from the sporadic shooting by the feuding parties in the town.

Recurrence of conflict

Before the recurrence of the conflict on November 24, 2021, the residents lived together in the town without any security concerns, a development that brought many people into the area.

Businesses were booming as residents and visitors moved freely in and out of the town to engage in various forms of activity.

The commercial areas, particularly the lorry station located between Gingande and Yirongo and the main market at Natinga, were always busy.

Traders and market women from the adjoining districts and others from Sankasi in neighbouring Togo and Betto in Burkina Faso commuted freely to the town to ply their trade without any difficulty.

Residents could freely move from the various suburbs to the Central Business District to open their shops and businesses for brisk business and return home without fear.

Deaths

Sadly, since the emergence of the conflict about four years ago, at least 300 people have been killed, including women and children, leaving a perpetual pain in the hearts and minds of their families and relations.

Some peacekeepers, including police and military personnel deployed to the area to maintain law and order, were not spared as some of them also lost their lives in the line of duty.

Economic activities at standstill

Unfortunately, economic activities are currently at a standstill as many are afraid of being caught up in a crossfire.

Many shops and businesses have also folded up since the conflict resurfaced for lack of patrons of essential goods and services in the town.

Those who brave the odds to open their shops in anticipation of some good sales are left disappointed due to the general apathy.

Transportation

The number of people who travel to Bawku daily has also reduced drastically due to insecurity of travellers, including traders and market women, a development which continues to harm the transport sector.

Some drivers who ply the Bolgatanga-Bawku route expressed concern about the situation, saying it has made it difficult for them to make their daily sales and earn enough income to take care of their families.

A minibus driver, Seidu Wahabu, expressed worry and said anytime there was sporadic shooting in the town, people did not travel out of the town to Bolgatanga and vice versa, noting that “previously, about 10 mini-buses left the station to Bolgatanga by midday every day”.

He said “unfortunately, due to increased insecurity, sometimes only three mini-buses travel to Bawku from Bolgatanga in a day”, stressing that “even people do not travel to the town on market days, although previously many people travelled to the area to do business”.

A Bawku-bound commercial saloon car driver, Nuhu Ibrahim, who could not hide his frustration due to the unending conflict and its negative consequences on transportation, called for a ceasefire among the parties to bring back their business.

The station master at Bawku Sprinter bus station, Asalima Gold, said initially, about 20 cars would usually leave for Bawku every day but the tension in the town was preventing people from freely moving into the area.

He expressed optimism that the situation would change in the shortest possible time so passengers could freely move into the town to engage in their respective activities.

Impact on education

The conflict has also impeded academic work in basic, senior high schools and tertiary institutions in the area.

Currently, due to growing insecurity, the management of the Bawku Presbyterian Nursing and Midwifery Training College has been forced to close down the school since November 2024, a development which has been a source of worry for students and parents.

While some basic schools have been affected by the conflict, leading to a reduction in enrolment, others always close down whenever there is sporadic shooting by the feuding parties in communities where the schools are located.

Pupils and teachers abandon academic work and run for their lives anytime shooting erupts, a situation which has psychologically affected the pupils, in particular, leading to poor academic performance.

Available statistics from the Ghana Education Service (GES) indicate that so far, 495 basic school teachers have fled the Bawku Municipality and Pusiga District since 2022.

With these teachers not being replaced, one can imagine the negative impact on basic education in both areas.

In an attempt to address the high teacher attrition rate in Bawku and Pusiga due to the conflict, the GES granted a special concession last year to recruit qualified teachers who are indigenes to teach in basic schools in the area.

However, during a recent chat with the Upper East Regional Director of the GES, Bright Lawoe, he said although a list was sent for such teachers to be recruited to begin work at the commencement of the 2024/2025 academic year, none of them were recruited.

Institutions flee

Likewise, a number of institutions have relocated from the town, including the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), over insecurity, which posed a danger to the staff and clients.

On October 1, 2022, equipment and other valuables were officially packed out of the offices in Bawku to the regional office in Bolgatanga, where the staff are currently operating from.

Speaking in an interview, the Head of Corporate Affairs, SSNIT, Afua Sarkodie, said the temporary closure of the office was necessitated by the increased insecurity in the town, which was a danger to its staff.

“As an institution, we do not want to compromise the security of staff and clients in the wake of the decades-old Bawku conflict, hence the decision to shut down the office until the security situation in the area improves before it would be reopened,” she explained.

Other institutions that have relocated from the town for the same reason include the offices of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), the District and Circuit courts, Melcom, Consolidated Bank Ghana (CBG), Agricultural Development Bank and Absa Bank.

Presby Hospital in sorry state

The Bawku Presbyterian Hospital, located in the heart of the town and a major referral facility, is unfortunately on its knees as it is not being patronised by the residents due to the conflict. Patients from adjoining districts can no longer be referred to the facility, forcing them to turn their attention to Zebilla Hospital.

The situation has forced workers of the facility and health facilities to leave, with its attendant consequences on health care.

During a recent courtesy call on the Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Akamugri Atanga, the Regional Chairman of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr Adam Zakariah, said the security situation in Bawku posed a danger to health professionals, forcing them to reject posting to the area.

Condemnation

Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central Constituency, Mahama Ayariga, has condemned the actions of the police in shooting some of the youth and further denied having engagements with the police to allow anyone in the market.

He said they were matters within the purview of law enforcement officers and that no decision of an officer should be blamed on him because he did not control them operationally.

Mr Ayariga, who is also the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, further advised the law enforcement officers to work with the Overlord of Kusaug, Abugrago Azoka II, to maintain law and order within the traditional area.