A respected traditional ruler, Chief Abubakar Awufour of the Wenchiki Traditional Area in the Chereponi District of the North East Region, has passionately called on the Yaa Naa, the Yagbonwura, and the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to urgently come together and lead peace negotiations to end the longstanding Bawku conflict.
Speaking in an interview with the press, Chief Awufour said the time had come for the country’s top traditional rulers to demonstrate practical leadership by personally visiting the conflict-affected areas in Bawku and engaging directly with the feuding factions.
“It’s time the three kings come together and go to Bawku themselves and engage them one after the other,” he said. “This conflict has gone on for too long, and we cannot afford to sit back any longer. We need face-to-face traditional leadership, not meetings held far away from the affected communities.”
According to him, any attempt to mediate the conflict remotely from Kumasi, Accra, or elsewhere without physically engaging the people on the ground would be ineffective. “It is time these kings stop sitting in their palaces and start walking to the troubled areas. Let them go, one after the other, to every chieftaincy gate, every community. That is what leadership means,” he emphasized.
Chief Awufour further stated that a unified visit by the three traditional rulers—Yaa Naa, Yagbonwura, and Otumfuo—would carry enormous symbolic and moral weight. “One king to another, face-to-face, from palace to palace. That is how our traditions command respect. Not through virtual meetings or press statements,” he said.
Expressing deep concern, he questioned why the conflict keeps escalating despite previous peace efforts. “I am surprised that with all the interventions from the military and politicians, the killings and hatred still continue. Is it that our leaders have lost their voice? Or that our people no longer listen?” he queried.
Chief Awufour also condemned recent calls by sections of the public for the removal of the Interior Minister, Hon. Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak. He described such calls as a political diversion and a distraction from the real issues. “Muntaka has done nothing wrong. This is not about him,” he said.
In the same vein, he defended the Bawku Central MP, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, saying the lawmaker should not be turned into a scapegoat. “Let us not blame Ayariga for what has been happening for decades. If anything, he has tried his best to speak for peace,” the chief stated.
Chief Awufour believes that the best approach is for President John Dramani Mahama to personally join hands with the three kings and lead them in a peace tour across the conflict-prone areas. “Let President Mahama himself walk with the Yaa Naa, Yagbonwura, and Otumfuo from one gate to another. That will send a strong message,” he proposed.
He stressed that genuine peace cannot be achieved through press releases or security deployments alone. “We need to activate traditional diplomacy—our own system of resolving disputes. That is what the people of Bawku understand,” he said.
Chief Awufour concluded with a firm caution: “If the respected traditional leaders continue to remain distant, this conflict will only worsen. It is not politics or guns that will end this—it is tradition, truth, and unity.”
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