The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, is set to resume his mediation efforts in the longstanding Bawku chieftaincy conflict from April 28 to May 1, 2025, at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.
A statement from the Manhyia Palace, dated April 15, confirmed the scheduled mediation process and called on all parties involved to exercise restraint and fully cooperate in pursuit of a lasting solution to the crisis.
The Asantehene is currently out of the country but is expected to return shortly to lead the peace talks.
The Bawku conflict, which has escalated in recent years, is rooted in a chieftaincy dispute between the Mamprusis and the Kusasis.
Recent violence has seen attacks on police officers and the destruction of public and private properties, including a police station and the residence of the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga.
The Interior Minister has since imposed a 12-hour curfew on Bawku and Binduri, from 6pm to 6am, in response to the latest wave of unrest. On April 13, two police officers were killed while traveling from Bongo to Binduri.
According to Rev. Professor John Zumah, Executive Director of the Sanneh Institute, the core of the dispute lies in questions over the traditional ownership of Bawku, rather than just the legitimacy of the current Bawku Naba.
Despite previous interventions, including a Supreme Court ruling and a committee investigation, a resolution has remained elusive.
The conflict has claimed numerous lives and caused millions of cedis in damage, with 20 deaths reported between December 2022 and February 2023 alone, according to The Africa Report.
Many stakeholders are hopeful that the Asantehene, who successfully mediated the 16-year-old Dagbon chieftaincy dispute, will once again help bring peace to Bawku.
Source | Opemsuo.com
