President John Dramani Mahama has expressed strong confidence in the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II’s ability to mediate the protracted Bawku conflict, drawing on his success in helping to resolve the Dagbon chieftaincy crisis.
The former President was speaking at the Jubilee House in Accra, where Otumfuo led a delegation of eminent chiefs to pay a courtesy call. The visit comes amid renewed efforts to bring peace to the troubled town of Bawku in Ghana’s Upper East Region.
Mr Mahama praised the Asantehene for his “steady hand and moral support” during the 16-year-long Dagbon conflict, which ended in 2019 under Otumfuo’s leadership of the Committee of Eminent Chiefs. He expressed hope that similar progress could be made in Bawku, which has struggled with deep-rooted ethnic and political tensions.
“Through your steady hand and moral support… you led Dagbon from years of painful division into an era of reconciliation and renewed leadership,” Mahama said. “Your Majesty’s unwavering efforts to mediate the Bawku conflict, though complex and challenging, offer our country a renewed sense of hope.”
He noted that Otumfuo’s “quiet diplomacy, cultural sensitivity and unwavering resolve” have already begun paving the way for dialogue in one of the country’s most fragile areas.
Bawku has been plagued by decades of intermittent conflict, primarily involving the Mamprusi and Kusasi ethnic groups over traditional leadership disputes. Several government attempts to broker peace have made limited headway, but the Asantehene’s involvement has raised hopes of a breakthrough.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who has yet to speak publicly on his current efforts in Bawku, played a pivotal role in the resolution of the Dagbon chieftaincy crisis, a conflict many believed was too complex to untangle. His methods, combining behind-the-scenes diplomacy with traditional authority, have earned him respect across Ghana’s political and ethnic divides.
President Mahama concluded his remarks with a message of support:
“We all have confidence that lasting peace will come to Bawku.”
The Asantehene’s latest peace mission signals a renewed push by Ghanaian leaders to address longstanding tensions through traditional institutions and cultural diplomacy.
