Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has revealed that about 13,253 Ghanaians are currently seeking refuge in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire over the ongoing Gbiniyiri conflict in the Savannah Region.
“The exact number communicated to us by the Ivorian government is 13,253 displaced Ghanaians,” he stated.
The minister indicated that government officials and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) are in contact with the displaced persons and providing the necessary support to them.
“I would also like to thank the government of Côte d’Ivoire for their support and cooperation,” he added.
The Minister for the Interior disclosed that a peace dialogue has been initiated by the Peace Council and that a delegation will be meeting with the Overlord of the Gonja Kingdom, His Majesty Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale I.
“As we speak, a delegation from Brefo leadership is in Damongo with the Peace Council to meet with the Yagbonwura. I am optimistic that by Monday, we will establish a committee to investigate the issue and provide recommendations on how to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future,” he said.
He stated that if the meeting with the Yagbonwura is successful, they will facilitate the return of all displaced persons to their various communities.
“Many of them left behind their farms and animals. If we do not resolve this quickly, it could lead to food insecurity in the area, and so we are working tirelessly with all traditional authorities to ensure that normalcy returns soon,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Bono Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation, Fati Kine-Lam, disclosed that the region has recorded an additional 252 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of the Gbiniyiri clash in two districts.
She said 250 of the IDPs were being sheltered in some communities in Tain, and two of them at Suma-Ahenkro in the Jaman North District.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Mrs. Kine-Lam said so far about 800 IDPs, including about 500 children, had sought shelter in the region, with the highest of them being sheltered in the Wenchi Municipality.
Mrs. Kine-Lam noted that the health conditions of most of the children and some pregnant mothers were not the best, and appealed for more humanitarian services.
The Gbiniyiri conflict in the Savannah Region occurred over a parcel of land between two factions, and has resulted in the deaths of about 31 persons and 48,000 displaced, with several others sustaining gunshot wounds and burning of houses and other properties during the clash.
FROM Eric Kombat