KUMASI. Dec 2 (The African Portal) – Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has urged rival factions in the Bawku chieftaincy conflict to embrace a future without violence, telling them that regardless of the mediation outcome, they “remain one people” who must continue to live together.
The call came during a rare direct meeting between representatives of the Mamprugu and Kusasi groups at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi on Monday — the first time in years that both sides have sat in the same room to discuss peace.
For months, the Asantehene has held separate closed-door engagements with each faction, seeking to defuse the long-running conflict that has claimed lives, displaced families and paralysed economic activity in the Bawku area.
Monday’s dialogue marked a turning point. Delegates from both sides acknowledged openly that they had “no justifiable reason” to be at war, and the atmosphere remained notably cordial throughout the nearly three-hour session.
Otumfuo praised their conduct, describing their civility as “a positive signal” for peace in Bawku. He called on the leaders to begin preparing their supporters for reconciliation rather than confrontation.
“Whatever the outcome of this mediation, you will still have to live together as brothers and sisters,” he said, urging an end to the cycles of mistrust and reprisals that have destabilised the region.
The Asantehene Otumfuor Osei Tutu is expected to submit a report including recommendations to President John Dramani Mahama in the coming days. A wider consultative meeting involving national and regional stakeholders is anticipated once the report is delivered, raising hopes of a path to lasting peace after decades of tension.
