President John Dramani Mahama announced Tuesday that his government will issue a definitive statement within 24 hours on the way forward following the presentation of the Bawku mediation report.
Speaking at a ceremony at the Jubilee House where Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II formally presented the report, President Mahama hailed the conclusion of the mediation process.
The effort aimed to resolve the long-standing chieftaincy and ethnic tensions in Bawku, northern Ghana, between the Kusasi and Mamprusi factions.
“I’m pleased that Otumfuo’s mediation has come to an end and that he has presented a report,” Mahama stated.
“I can assure him that government will look at this report, and within the next 24 hours, government will issue a statement on its definitive position on the report.”
Mahama urged continued stakeholder involvement to achieve lasting reconciliation.
“It’s my hope that the National Peace Council, the House of Chiefs, Otumfuo himself, and all the religious bodies would go the next step of continuing the engagement between the Nayiri and the Bawku Naaba to ensure that we’re able to bring reconciliation between the two groups,” he added.
The Bawku conflict has simmered for decades, marked by sporadic violence over competing claims to the Bawku Naba skin, pitting the Nayiri (representing Mamprusi interests) against the Bawku Naaba (backed by Kusasis).
Otumfuo’s intervention, facilitated through the National Peace Council, sought to bridge divides after renewed clashes earlier this year displaced thousands and strained regional security.
