President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday received the Bawku Conflict Mediation Report from Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and assured that government would announce its definitive position on the report within 24 hours.
“And I can assure him that government will look at this report and, within the next 24 hours, issue a statement on its definitive position,” the President said.
President Mahama expressed his sincere gratitude to Otumfuo for his patience and diligence over the months in mediating what he described as a complex and seemingly intractable conflict between two important ethnic groups in the country.
He recalled that when he assumed office from his predecessor, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, security briefings indicated that Otumfuo had been invited to serve as the sole mediator in the Bawku conflict.
The President said he subsequently visited the Asantehene to confirm the status of the mediation and whether he had accepted the responsibility, which Otumfuo confirmed.
“And even though the mediation has been long, I understand the complexity of the Bawku case. It required time and patience to thoroughly engage all parties, establish the facts and arrive at recommendations,” he said.
President Mahama reiterated that the Bawku process was a mediation and not an arbitration.
“An arbitration would normally determine who is right or wrong. This was a mediation, and the next phase is to reconcile our brothers and sisters from the Kusasi and Mamprusi sides,” he said.
He stressed that the conflict was not winnable militarily, noting that no side could defeat the other.
President Mahama said Bawku was strategically important because of its location in the extreme north-eastern corner of the country, close to Burkina Faso, where terrorist armed groups were operating.
He said national security briefings consistently emphasised the urgency of restoring peace to Bawku to safeguard Ghana’s northern borders.
“And so the end of this mediation gives us the opportunity to determine the way forward in bringing peace and calm,” he said.
President Mahama observed that Bawku had the potential to be one of the most vibrant commercial centres in the country and had historically served as a hub of trade.
He said the prolonged conflict had reversed the town’s fortunes, forcing teachers, doctors and other public servants to refuse postings or leave the area.
“We have suspended the posting of national service personnel to Bawku because we cannot guarantee their safety,” the President said.
He expressed the hope that the National Peace Council, the National House of Chiefs, Otumfuo and religious bodies would continue engagement between the Na Yiri and the Bawku Naaba to achieve reconciliation.
President Mahama commended Otumfuo for what he described as an honourable service to the nation.
“He is a national asset. Nana, I thank you very much. We have received the report, and I am happy that you took the decision to be transparent by personally reading it,” he said.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II earlier presented the full report live on national television via GTV and other platforms, providing historical context to the Bawku chieftaincy conflict, including judicial and political rulings.
In the report, Otumfuo confirmed Zugran Asigri Abugrago Azoka II as the rightful Chief of Bawku and Paramount Chief of the Kasaug Traditional Area.
He noted that by a declaration of the Supreme Court of Ghana, Zugran Asigri Abugrago Azoka II is the Bawku Naaba, adding that no other person residing in Bawku could lawfully claim that status.
Present at the event were Vice President Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang and Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, the National Chief Imam.