By Kwabena Adu Koranteng
The death toll in the Gbinyiri tribal conflict in the Savannah Region has risen to 18, with more than 12,000 residents displaced, according to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO). This is not just a local tragedy; it is a national disgrace.
The Savannah Region is the home of President John Dramani Mahama, yet his own backyard is burning with violence and bloodshed. How can a government that cannot maintain peace in its leader’s birthplace be trusted to guarantee safety anywhere else in Ghana?
Mr. Mahama Zakaria, NADMO’s Regional Director, confirmed that eight people were killed in clashes on 28th August 2025, bringing the official toll to 18. The conflict, sparked by a land dispute between two rival factions, has turned communities into war zones. Gunfire has silenced lives, and families are mourning loved ones whose only “crime” was belonging to the wrong side of a tribal feud.
The bigger tragedy, however, lies in the state’s shocking failure to prevent such needless loss of life. Successive governments have allowed tribal tensions in Bawku, Gonja land, and other hotspots to fester. Instead of decisive action, we see empty political rhetoric and tokenistic interventions after lives have already been lost. Ghana is sliding into a cycle where conflict is normalized, blood is spilled, and leaders simply count the dead.
The 12,000 displaced victims—mostly women and children—now sleep in makeshift tents at the Sawla Police Station. Their lives have been turned upside down by a government that is quick to boast about “development” but slow to secure its citizens’ most basic right: safety. How many more Ghanaians must flee their homes before those in power wake up?
This conflict is a wake-up call. It is proof that peace cannot be left to chance, and that leadership is meaningless if it cannot guarantee the safety of its people. If President Mahama cannot ensure calm in his own home region, what confidence should the rest of Ghana have in his government?
Enough is enough. The blood of the innocent should not be the price of political negligence.
