At least 31 people have lost their lives and nearly 50,000 residents have been uprooted following violent clashes triggered by a land dispute in Ghana’s Savannah Region.
The unrest began on August 24 in Gbiniyiri, a village near the border with Ivory Coast, after a local chief reportedly sold communal land to a private developer without community approval. When attempts were made to access the land, tensions flared into open violence, culminating in the burning of the chief’s palace.
Authorities said the violence spread quickly across more than a dozen communities, forcing thousands to flee. The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) estimated that about 48,000 people, mainly women and children, were displaced. Over 13,000 of them have sought refuge in neighboring Ivory Coast, according to Ivorian officials.
“Some families are crammed into small rooms hosting dozens of relatives, while many in makeshift camps survive on a single meal a day,” Savannah Regional NADMO Director Zakaria Mahama said.
Interior Minister Mubarak Muntaka confirmed the casualty toll and noted that more than 700 security personnel had been deployed, alongside a dusk-to-dawn curfew, to restore order.
Local leaders and the Savannah Regional Minister, Salisu Bi-Awuribe, said calm is gradually returning, with traditional rulers working with security agencies to defuse tensions. However, authorities remain concerned about possible food shortages, as many villagers fled their farms and livestock during the exodus.
An investigative committee involving traditional rulers and the National Peace Council is expected to begin work soon to establish the causes of the conflict and chart a path toward reconciliation.
