GOVERNANCE AND SECURITY IN GHANA: THE DAGBON CHIEFTAINCY CRISIS SIPRI/OSI African Security and Governance Project WEST AFRICA CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTE SIPRI/OSI African Security and Governance Project The Dagbon Chieftaincy Crisis iii WEST AFRICA CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTE WEST AFRICA CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTE About WACSI The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) was created by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) to reinforce the capacities of civil society in the region. The Institute was established to bridge the institutional and operational gaps within civil society. Vision: To strengthen civil society organisations as strategic partners for the promotion of democracy, good governance and national development in the sub region. Mission: The objective of the Institute is to strengthen the institutional and technical capacities of CSOs in the formulation of policies, the implementation and promotion of democratic values and principles in West Africa. The role of WACSI is to serve as a resource centre for training, research, experience sharing and dialogue for CSOs in West Africa. The Institute makes its plea through policy dialogue to discuss current issues affecting West African States. Reference documents are regularly published by the Institute and distributed to policy makers. www.wacsi.org About SIPRI SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public. SIPRI was established on the basis of a decision by the Swedish Parliament and receives a substantial part of its funding in the form of an annual grant from the Swedish Government. The Institute also seeks financial support from other organizations in order to carry out its broad research programme. SIPRI’s structure comprises the Governing Board and the Director, Deputy Director, Research Staff Collegiums and support staff, together numbering around 50-60 people. SIPRI’s staff and Governing Board are international. Located in Stockholm, Sweden, SIPRI offers a unique platform for researchers from different countries to work in close cooperation. The Institute also hosts guest researchers and interns who work on issues related to the SIPRI research programmes. The Dagbon Chieftaincy Crisis www.sipri.org The Dagbon Chieftaincy Crisis iv v WEST AFRICA CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTE WEST AFRICA CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTE Authors DR. KEN AHORSU, Research Fellow and Lecturer in Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies, Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD), University of Ghana, Legon DR. BONI YAO GEBE, Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer in International Relations, Legon Centre for Contents International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD), University of Ghana, Legon Technical Support CHARLES KOJO VANDYCK, Capacity Building Officer, West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 OMOLARA BALOGUN, Policy Advocacy Officer, West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) Introduction 7 JIMM CHICK FOMUNJONG, A brief history of the Dagbon Kingdom Intern, West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) and the Dagbon chieftaincy 9 Editor JOEY FOX, National Politics and Dagbon Chieftaincy Editor, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Conflict in Post-Independence Ghana 13 The Run up to and Aftermath DISCLAIMER of the Death of Ya Na Andani II 17 This research report is provided for information purposes only. Statements of fact have been obtained from sources considered reliable. Neither this report, nor any opinion expressed herein, Conclusion 28 is in any way meant to inflame passions. This report may not be reproduced, distributed or published by any recipient for any purpose without the express permission of the West Africa BIBLIOGRAPHY 31 Civil Society Institute. Copyright © 2011 by WACSI All rights reserved. No part of this report may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For more information, contact: West Africa Civil Society Institute No. 9 Bingo Street; East Legon, P.O. Box AT 1956, Accra, Ghana Tel: +233 (0) 302.522.589/542.010 Email:[email protected] WEST AFRICA CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTE Executive Summary The Dagbon Chieftaincy crisis predates modern Ghana and its current political institutions. The crisis revolves around the two family lines, or ‘gates’, to the kingship, the Abudu and Andani families, which have pitted children from the same royal ancestry against each other in an internecine conflict for the past 200 years. A significant episode in this struggle was the 27 March 2002 murder of Ya Na Yakubu Adani II, the ruler of Ghana’s the Dagbon Kingdom (Dagomba), along with more than 40 other high-profile individuals who served and advised in the palace. The various interventions made by the government, international and civil society bodies over the years to address the king’s murder, his burial and the royal succession have not resolved the conflict arising from the two gates. In fact, with the historical antecedents of succession disputes, political manipulation and government interference, often along ideological lines, all efforts to resolve the crisis and its underlying causes have only perpetuated violence, intra- ethnic animosities, destructive family feuds and endless struggles for royal supremacy. Two recent interventions include the setting up of the Wuaku Commission to identify those responsible for the assassination of the Ya Na and to recommend appropriate sanctions, and the Committee of Eminent Chiefs, which produced a ‘road map’ for the burial of Yakubu II and the enskinment (installation) of a king. Most of the recommendations emanating from these and other commissions and The Dagbon Chieftaincy Crisis 3 WEST AFRICA CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTE WEST AFRICA CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTE committees of enquiry have woefully failed to resolve the root causes Policy Recommendations: and associated challenges. The recommendations outlined below are directed at the Government Separate from resolving issues related to the murder and burial of the and Civil Society. king, Yakubu II’s death has brought to the fore problems associated with the chieftaincy as an institution, such as its institutional Government relevance in a democratic political system and effect on democratic Employ the instruments of intervention that encourage dialogue development; the appropriate methods of overcoming succession towards peaceful transformation of the conflict. disputes and associated social turbulence and political instability; government interference in resolutions processes and whether the Depoliticize the crisis—if only to provide the basis for inter-party institution should be discarded in its entirety. trust. In that regard, the criminal aspects of the crisis should be separated from the traditional aspects. Free from government Key Findings: interference, the security agencies, principally the police and the judiciary, must be given a free hand to prosecute the criminal Political manoeuvring and implicit actions by influential aspects of the conflict. individuals linked to the two gates and supported by ruling political elites who have held sensitive positions in the immediate Develop a comprehensive program of de-marginalization of past might have contributed to the death of Ya Na Yakubu Andani Northern Ghana. The Government must proactively pursue II. policies that reduce the conditions for conflict and violence and establish an environment for social mobility, employment and The incessant intrusions into the disputes by successive Ghanaian wealth generation. governments along ideological lines have also contributed to the complexity of the crisis. Civil Society There is a lack of a systematic structural and operational strategy Develop a networked ‘think-tank’ to brainstorm the crisis on a that can transform the socio-economic conditions of the citizens of sustained basis towards its peaceful resolution. With the National Northern Ghana towards peaceful co-existence and development.1 Peace Council (NPC) playing a coordinating role, the ‘think tank’ The evidence from the analysis in this report suggests that should constitute a variety of stakeholders, including civil society the Dagbon crisis is unlikely to be resolved amicably through organizations, faith-based or religious groups and organizations, normal judicial processes. traditional authorities, academia and the media. However, the NPC must first be restructured and resourced with the requisite financial and technical support to make it responsive and proactive. Both restructuring the NPC and developing the think 1 In recent times, the Government of Ghana has began to embark on a series of coordinated tank demand a comprehensive management plan that will require development interventions In Northern Ghana by establishing the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), to create sustainable employment, re-orient agriculture institutional and infrastructural support from the Government. towards improving assets for the poor while adding-value to basic food and tree crops; invest in improved water resources, drainage and irrigation for year-round production. The The Dagbon Chieftaincy Crisis main issue addressed is to provide a development strategy to bridge the development gap The Dagbon Chieftaincy Crisis between