The Bawku conflict, rooted in a longstanding chieftaincy dispute between the Kusasi and Mamprusi ethnic groups, reignited in late July 2024. The return of a rival chief, whose previous arrest warrant was withdrawn by a court, intensified tensions. This resurgence led to violent clashes, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries.
The family of the chief Nayiri were attacked; two were killed, and others ran away. It is reported that the prince’s heir to the throne and the king’s second son (names withheld for security reasons) are nowhere to be found. This conflict has been ongoing for a long time, and the government has not been able to contain it.
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The months of retaliatory violence that followed saw at least 90 people killed and split Bawku. It also caught the attention of many Western security analyses watching the conflict in neighboring Burkina Faso, where a collection of armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State groups have grabbed territory and displaced 1.7 1.7million people internally with alarming speed in recent years.
It’s noted that these armed groups cross the borders and join others to attack the palace and kill anyone they find. They have been going around killing and destroying properties, farms, and livestock and trying to kill the royal family.
The jihadist expansion across Africa’s Sahel region created a new frontier in the so-called war on terror.
