The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has assured the Overlord of Gonja, Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale I, that government is fully committed to restoring peace and stability in the Sawla-Bole area, where violent clashes in recent weeks have claimed lives and destroyed property.
After a closed-door meeting at the Jakpa Palace in Damongo on Sunday, August 31, 2025, the minister told journalists that the unrest was of serious concern to government, adding that security remains a top priority. He stressed the importance of building stronger partnerships between traditional leaders, community stakeholders, and security agencies to address the root causes of the conflict.
“We want to appeal to all factions to understand that nothing can compare to peace. Once we agree to sit down and start talking, these tensions will be a thing of the past,” he said. The minister called for restraint among rival groups, urging them to use dialogue rather than violence in resolving their differences.
Mohammed-Mubarak also confirmed that a combined team of security personnel, including the police and military, has been deployed to the area to conduct patrols and protect residents. He said intelligence-gathering has been intensified to track the masterminds of the clashes, while peace talks are ongoing at both local and regional levels.
Beyond local interventions, the minister revealed that government is working closely with neighbouring Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire to reinforce border security. He explained that such cooperation is crucial to preventing the movement of weapons and external interference, which often fuel communal violence in frontier communities.
The Sawla-Bole disturbances are the latest in a series of conflicts affecting northern Ghana, where disputes over land, chieftaincy, and political influence have occasionally flared into violence. Civil society groups and peace councils have repeatedly called for stronger state engagement to promote reconciliation and long-term peace-building efforts in the area.
The Interior Minister assured the Yagbonwura and his council that government will not relent until calm is fully restored, emphasizing that peace in the Gonja Kingdom is central to the stability of the entire Savannah Region.
