Mapping Conflict Zones in Ghana
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Executive Summary viii Background viii Objectives viii Methodology ix Conceptual Issues ix Findings x Northern region x Upper east region x Upper west region xi Recommendations xi Section One Introduction 1 Background to the study 1 Some violent conflicts in Ghana 2 Objectives 3 Statement of need and justification for a spatial mapping of conflicts 3 Methodology 4 Section Two Conceptual issues 6 Introduction 6 Conceptualising conflict 6 Classification of conflict 8 The nature and scope of conflicts in Africa 8 Generic Causes of Conflict in northern Ghana 9 Effects of Conflict 13 ii Page Conflict Analysis 13 Section Three Presentation and Discussion of Findings 17 Introduction 17 Northern region 19 Location and physical features 19 Population characteristics 19 Economic activities 20 Administration 20 Key causal factors of conflicts in the Northern Region 20 Analysis of conflicts zones in the northern region 21 The current context of conflicts in the Northern Region 21 Chieftaincy conflicts 22 Political conflicts 22 _Toc343507202Resource based conflicts 24 The origin and causes of violent conflicts in the northern region 25 Bunkprugu Yonyuo District Conflict 31 Other tertiary causes 32 Bimbilla Conflict 33 The Bimbilla Chieftaincy succession dispute 34 Kpandai conflict 34 Dispute over the legitimate chief of Kpandai (Kpandai Wura) 35 The Yendi intra-ethnic lineage-based succession conflict 35 Religious Conflict in Mpaha 37 The Buipe chieftaincy dispute 37 Gusheigu political violence 39 iii Page Gusheigu indigenes/fulanis clashes 40 Analysing mediation efforts to resolve conflicts in the Northern Region 40 Key mediation actors and their activities 40 State initiated and directed 40 State initiated but not led; 40 Civil Society Initiated 41 Outcomes of interventions 42 Military 42 Legal 42 Negotiation/education 42 Current status of peace in the Northern Region 43 Upper East region 44 Location and physical features 44 Population characteristics 44 Economic activities 45 Key conflict causal factors in the Upper East Region 46 The Bawku skin affairs 48 Summary of Bawku conflict discourse 50 Conflicts in the Bolgatanga area 52 Sirigu versus Yekene 53 The Gbane conflict 55 Summary of Bolgatanga area conflicts 56 Upper West Region 61 Introduction 61 iv Page Analysis of conflicts in the Upper West Region 62 Nadowli skin affairs: analysis of key conflict causal factors 64 Wallembele skin affairs 64 Summary of Upper West region conflicts 65 Section Four Conclusions and Recommendations 69 Conclusions 69 Recommendations 69 The Government 70 Traditional authorities 70 References 72 APPENDIX A 76 APPENDIX B 79 APPENDIX C 67 APPENDIX D 69 v LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1: Conflict Location and Type 23 Table 2: Northern region conflicts: analysis of key conflict causal factors 25 Table 3: Northern region conflicts: actor analysis 26 Table 4: Northern region conflicts: capacity for peace 28 Table 5: Analysis of key causal factors – Bawku conflict 50 Table 6: Actor analysis – Bawku conflict 50 Table 7: Capacity for peace – Bawku conflict 51 Table 8: Key Conflict Causal Factors - Bolgatanga area conflicts 57 Table 9: Actor Analysis – Bolgatanga area conflicts 58 Table 10: Capacity for peace – Bolgatanga area conflicts 59 Table 11: Wallembele and Nadowli skin affairs: analysis of key conflict causal factors 67 Table 12: Wallembele and Nadowli skin affairs: actor analysis 68 Table 13: Wallembele and Nadowli skin affairs: capacity for peace 68 vi LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: Map of the Three Northern Regions showing Towns with Conflict 5 Figure 2:Trends in Poverty Incidence by Administrative Regions, 1991 - 2006 18 Figure 3: Frequency of Conflict in the Northern Region 22 Figure 4: Types of Conflict in the Northern Region 25 Figure 5: Actors in Conflict in the Northern Region 26 Figure 6: Mediators in Northern Region Conflicts 41 Figure 7: Current Status of Conflict in the Northern Region 43 Figure 8: Frequency of Conflict in the Upper East Region 46 Figure 9: Actors in Conflict in the Upper East Region 47 Figure 10: Types of Conflict in the Upper East Region 47 Figure 11: Mediators in Upper East Region Conflicts 60 Figure 12: Current Status of Conflict in the Upper East Region 60 Figure 13: Frequency of Conflict in the Upper West Region 62 Figure 14: Actors in Conflict in the Upper West Region 63 Figure 15: Types of Conflict in the Upper West Region 63 Figure 16: Conflict Mediators in the Upper West Region 66 Figure 17: Current Status of Conflict in the Upper West Region 66 vii Executive Summary Background hana has been described as peaceful country, but violence occurs from time to time involving various protagonists, which are ethnic, religious, economic and political. Fortunately for Ghana as a country, the potential for war has long been recognised and efforts geared at addressing it have included the following: 1. Establishment of the National Peace Council with offices nationwide 2. Participation in the creation of the ECOWAS treaties of both 1993 and 1999 3. Periodic educational campaigns on peace (especially during general elections). Attempts have also been made by various agencies to establish a database of conflict zones and to design early warning systems to help pre-empt violence. However, to date, no comprehensive mapping of conflict hotspots has been undertaken for the country, which will, in map overlays, show the spatial incidences of these conflicts. This gap is what this study seeks to fill – to provide in text and in maps the spatial and temporal dynamics of violent conflicts in Ghana as a tool for policy makers, the security agencies and students of peace studies to anticipate and pre-empt violence. In mapping conflict zones in Ghana, this study also examined the various conditions that breed violence in relation to direct violence (deliberate policies and structures that cause human suffering, death and harm) and cultural violence (cultural norms and practices that create discrimination, injustice and human suffering) as well as the current state of the violent conflicts. In situations where conflict is destructive, it can hinder progress in the society; encourage individuals to resort to unfriendly behaviours such as “win-by-all means-necessary” attitudes, where emotions take precedence over reason leading to the disintegration of groups and the scuttling of national development projects. Objectives The main objective of the study was to map conflict zones in Ghana with northern Ghana as the case for this phase. Specifically, the study sought to: 1. Analyze the spatio-temporal dynamics of conflicts 2. Examine the underlying causes of such conflicts 3. Examine the current status of various conflicts 4. Appraise the management strategies in place, and 5. Explore policy response interventions to conflicts viii Methodology A multi-layered method was adopted in collecting and analysing the data as follows: First, we reviewed information in two national daily newspapers (Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times) on violent conflicts in Ghana between 2007 and 2012. The period covered both the 2008 and 20012 elections. Finally, the information collected from the newspapers and the regional/district visits was then synthesised and mapped using Geographic Information Systems software. The maps produced a clear picture of the exact locations of these hotspots and the relative densities with which they occur in Ghana. Subsequently, social research methodology was employed to understand the perceptual dynamics of key actors in these areas. Conceptual Issues The literature on conflict, especially those that attempt to connect the outcomes of conflict to the underlying causes emphasizes the role of structure and power relations in explaining most conflicts. The basic proposition is that conflict occurs as a result of the natural competition between two or more parties about scarce resources, power and prestige. Under these circumstances parties in conflict may believe that they have incompatible goals, and their aim is to neutralize, gain advantage over, injure or destroy another. This unequal accumulation of wealth, control over scare resources and the innate desire of some people to gain control over political systems as well as the means of production account for many of the intra and inter-system conflicts in contemporary African society. The skewness of the political system coupled with the distribution of the benefits of economic development in favour of the privileged elites as against the marginalised groups may tend to bring about polarization thereby leading to increase in the number of violent conflicts or the exacerbation of existing one. As conflicts occur, society becomes saddled with ways to adequately respond to and manage the outcomes of the conflict. Conflict analysis and conflict mapping have become essential tools in enabling a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the conflict, which aids in finding solutions. This is the theoretical perspective of this study. The purpose of conflict analysis in a development policy context is to devise strategies, programmes and projects which respond sensitively to a conflict and hence make a certain contribution to reducing or resolving the conflict. Conflict analysis is the systematic study of the profile, causes, actors, and dynamics of conflict. It helps peace building organizations to gain a better understanding of the context in which they work and their role in that context. Conflict analysis is a process by which a conflict analyst tries to gain historical knowledge about the situation and the current events leading to the conflict and identify relevant groups involved in the conflict including the hidden ones. Conflict analysis helps the analyst to understand the perceptions of groups in conflict and how they relate to each other. It then becomes an analytical tool that deepens the understanding of potential or ongoing violent conflicts through the assessment of structures, actors, and conflict dynamics. ix Findings Northern region The northern region recorded most of the conflicts in this study. The underlying causes have deep historical roots stemming from the colonial policy of putting a- cephalous societies under the centralised states.