The government has renewed the curfew imposed on the Bawku Municipality and its surrounding communities in the Upper East Region as security authorities intensify efforts to contain recurring violence linked to the protracted chieftaincy conflict in the area.
In a statement issued on Monday, December 15, 2025, the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, announced that the curfew will now run from 8:00 pm to 5:00 am, effective the same day. The decision was taken on the advice of the National Security Council and formalised through an Executive Instrument.
The Interior Ministry said the renewed restriction forms part of measures to restore calm and protect lives and property amid persistent tensions in the municipality and its environs. Government urged chiefs, elders, opinion leaders, the youth and residents to exercise restraint and to channel their energies through peaceful and non violent means.
The statement also announced a total ban on the possession of arms, ammunition and offensive weapons within the affected areas, warning that anyone found in violation would be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The renewed curfew comes at a sensitive moment in the peace process, as the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, prepares to submit his final report and recommendations on resolving the Bawku chieftaincy conflict to President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, December 16. The presentation, scheduled for 4 pm at the Presidency in Accra, is the culmination of months of mediation led by the Asantehene following his appointment by President Mahama earlier this year.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Member of Parliament and spokesperson to the President, confirmed the upcoming handover in a statement issued from the Office of the President, describing it as a significant step towards a sustainable resolution of the conflict between the Kusasi and Mamprusi factions.
The mediation process, which began in April and resumed in May after a brief interruption, has been credited with easing tensions and restoring a measure of calm to the conflict prone municipality. The final round of talks, held last week at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, took place under heavy security, with military and police personnel deployed around the palace grounds.
Sources familiar with the closed door discussions said the Asantehene refrained from declaring a winner or loser, instead reviewing the full range of grievances raised by both sides. One source noted that Otumfuo informed the parties that he would forward his findings to the President for the next phase of action, adding that the process remained rooted in mediation rather than confrontation.
Despite the progress, tensions briefly flared outside the Manhyia Palace at the end of the final meeting when supporters of both factions gathered in large numbers. A confrontation was narrowly avoided after swift intervention by security personnel restored order and ensured the safe departure of both delegations.
Bawku has endured years of intermittent violence stemming from the chieftaincy dispute, with hundreds of lives lost and widespread destruction of property. The unrest has severely disrupted economic activity, education and healthcare delivery, forcing many residents to flee and leaving the once vibrant border town struggling to function.
