Bawku feuding parties converge on Manhyia for peace talks

The nation’s attention will be on Manhyia Palace for the next three days as mediation talks aimed at resolving the Bawku conflict begin in full today at the seat of the Golden Stool.

Key stakeholders from the conflict area started arriving in Kumasi yesterday ahead of the crucial talks. 

The sessions are being hosted by the sole mediator, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, with the objective of going into the chieftaincy aspect of the conflict, which forms the basis for the conflict between the Kusasi and Mamprusi communities.

Journalists gathered at Manhyia Palace on Monday, eager for the process to commence, only to find out that the day was reserved for arrivals.

It is still uncertain whether the mediation sessions will be open to the public.

Intervention

President John Dramani Mahama sought the Asantehene's intervention in mediating the conflict following a recent resurgence of violence that resulted in multiple casualties, including the death of two police officers and a military officer.

Manhyia notice

On April 15 this year, Manhyia Palace announced that Otumfuo would conduct mediation sessions from April 28 to May 1, 2025, at the palace as agreed with the parties involved.

The announcement followed a recent assurance from President Mahama that the peace process led by the Asantehene would continue upon his return from a trip abroad.

Background

The Bawku conflict, which has spanned ages, has reduced some communities in the area to ghost towns in the wake of the violence that has attended the conflict.

Security agencies have been deployed over the years to keep the peace in the area but that has merely papered over seemingly deep-rooted factors at the base of the conflict.

Indeed, hundreds have been killed directly as a result of the conflict, with individual members of different labour groups either quitting the area or declining posting to the affected communities.

In extreme cases, some company branches, including banks, have shut their offices in the area, while courts operating within the conflict enclave were closed by the Chief Justice some time last year.

The Inspector General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, and the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Lawrence Kwaku Gbetanu, have visited the conflict zone to interact with the youth and discuss peace with the people.

For years, the Ministry for the Interior has reviewed and sustained a curfew schedule in Bawku and its environs as a measure to control the situation.