Interior Minister Receives Report on Gonja-Birifor Conflict Mediation

Accra: Mr. Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, the Minister of the Interior, has received the report from the Gbenyiri Mediation Committee, established to mediate communal clashes between the Gonja and Lobi/Birifor communities in the Savannah Region. The committee, formed on September 11, 2025, aimed to foster dialogue, cooperation, and peaceful coexistence following clashes in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba enclave. According to Ghana News Agency, the committee was also tasked with creating a roadmap for rebuilding trust, enhancing tolerance, and restoring long-term stability in the affected communities. Upon receiving the report, Mr. Muntaka commended the committee for its efforts and assured the Government's commitment to implementing the recommendations. He emphasized the Government's plan to engage with traditional and community leaders to commend their dedication to peace and reconciliation. Mr. Muntaka expressed gratitude to development partners for their support and urged continued assistance in rebuilding social cohes ion in the Gbenyiri community. Mr. Emmanuel Bombande, Chairperson of the Committee, highlighted the use of open and honest engagements between the feuding parties to understand the conflict's scope and dynamics. He noted that the dialogue provided an opportunity for direct conversations on underlying issues, aiming to rebuild trust and restore relations. Mr. Bombande described the committee's approach as diligent and systematic, aimed at building bridges and reinstating trust. He urged all stakeholders to maintain the tolerance and calm necessary to facilitate dialogue. The discussions focused on exchanging viewpoints, addressing barriers, and pacifying specific areas where violence had erupted. Mr. Bombande called on the Government to prioritize implementing the recommendations and establishing a clear roadmap and monitoring mechanism to ensure lasting peace and stability in the region. He stressed that conflict resolution requires sustained effort and collective responsibility. The Government established the seven-member Gbeyiri Mediation Committee on September 11, 2025, in response to escalating ethnic clashes between the Birifor and Gonja groups in the Gbeyiri, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District. The violence, triggered by a disputed land sale on August 23, 2025, resulted in at least 31 deaths, property destruction, and the displacement of over 50,000 people, marking one of Ghana's most severe internal crises in recent years. Other committee members included Alhaji Collins Dauda, Member of Parliament for Asutifi South; Reverend Father Lazarus Anyereh of the Savannah Regional Peace Council; and Dr. Festus Aubyn from the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding. Also on the committee were Madam Sylvia Hornam Naagbeseu, a legal expert from the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre; Professor Ramatu Alhassan from the University of Ghana Department of Agricultural Economics; and Dr. George Amoh, Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council.