Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Accra (Agenzia Fides) – Donatus Akamugri Atanga, Minister for the Upper East Region, praised the role of the Catholic Church in assisting refugees and its commitment to ongoing peace efforts in the region during a visit to the region by Archbishop Julien Kabore, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana.The Nuncio is visiting the region in the far northeast of Ghana, which has suffered a long-standing conflict between the Mamprusi and the Kusasi peoples, primarily over land ownership issues (see Fides, 13/4/2022). The region also hosts displaced people from neighboring Burkina Faso, fleeing the violence of Islamist groups in their homeland, whose actions now threaten to spread to this part of Ghana.The Minister called on the Catholic Church to use its influence to promote unity, stressing that both parties involved in the conflict are more inclined to listen to the voice of religious leaders than that of politicians.Archbishop Kabore thanked the Ghanaian government and the people of the Upper East Region for their continued hospitality and assistance to those fleeing the unstable situation in Burkina Faso. He praised Ghana’s deep commitment to welcoming and protecting refugees in need. Accompanied by Bishop Alfred Agyenta of Navrongo-Bolgatanga, the Nuncio visited the Talkuom camp, which houses refugees from the neighboring country.The local conflict flared up again in late July when three young men were killed in an attack by gunmen in Bawku. Authorities responded by deploying security officers in the town and imposing a curfew.The murder of the three young men has reignited fears of a resurgence of ethnic conflict in the region between the Mamprusi and Kusasi communities, exacerbated by persistent warnings of a potential spillover of Islamist violence from neighboring Burkina Faso.The conflict between the two communities stems from a long-standing dispute over the role of the Mamprusi and Kusasi tribal leaders. In the past, the Mamprusi claimed traditional authority over the Bawku territory, while the Kusasi demanded their rights as the majority population.Both groups claim the prestigious role of Bawku chief, which repeatedly leads to violent clashes. The dispute dates back to pre-colonial times and intensified after Ghana’s independence in 1957, when successive governments exploited the chiefs’ role to gain political advantage. This manipulation exacerbated tensions and transformed a local conflict into a long-running feud. Now there are fears that Islamist groups from neighboring Burkina Faso could exploit the tensions between the two groups to gain a foothold in Ghana, expanding their sphere of influence and jeopardizing cross-border trade between Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Togo.The dispute is also difficult to resolve because both ethnic groups accuse the security forces of bias. The Mamprusi claim that the army favors the interests of the Kusasi, while the latter accuse the government of failing to enforce traditional ordinances designed to prevent violence.(L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 4/8/2025)
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