The Gonja Kingdom over the years and in recent months has been at a crossroads, so to say. What once seemed isolated disputes have today turned into a sobering warning that peace without preparedness is just a camouflage for an unshown vulnerability.
The Gonja- Mamprusi conflict started in 2019 when the Wasipe traditional council of the Gonja Kingdom sought to enskin a chief to oversee the Lukula community. The Jang Traditional Area also sought to take over the community. This led to clashes between the two traditional Areas. In August 2019, thirty-four (34) houses were burned down and two (2) people were killed in the battle between the two tribes. On 23 May 2021, in Kijasa and Lansupe villages an individual was murdered and other three(3) injured in clashes. The fighting erupted again in April 2023 and at least two (2) were burned alive in Mempeasem. Between May and June 2023, seven (7) people lost their lives.
In September this year, the Gonjas and Brifos came to blows over land in Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district in the Bole traditional area. The Brifos migrated from la Côte d’Ivoire in 1935 and settled in the Bole traditional area. The Mayhem left people dead, homes burnt, and displaced families. Many Brifos fled back across the border. Just weeks later, another eruption broke out in the Tuluwe Traditional Area, involving the Gonjas and the Konkombas of Gulumpe. The pattern is unmistakable: when land becomes blood, leadership must wake up.
But deep beneath is a deeper wound: allegations of some security personnel, mainly from other ethnic groups, having stood by while Gonjas were being attacked. Whether true or mere rumors, it is a perception that should send jitters up the spine of every Gonja leader. Security, power, and representation are no longer luxuries; they are shields of survival.
Gonja is a blessed kingdom: It has produced a sitting President of the Republic, brilliant minds in public service, and successful sons and daughters across Ghana. Yet, internal division continues to weaken that blessing. The painful truth is that too often, a Gonja does not rise with his brother. That indifference is now costing the kingdom.
Where others would build networks, Gonjas build silos. Where others would prepare their youth for the armed forces, the police, and public institutions, Gonjas remain few, peaceful, yet unprotected. This needs to change. Leaders must act deliberately to open doors for Gonja youth to join the nation’s security services. Influence must translate into protection.
The Gonja Traditional Council must also rise to its constitutional and ancestral duty. It is time to formalize land agreements with all settler tribes. Where there is no law, there is confusion. Court-backed documentation will eliminate any ambiguity and prevent some future disputes over ownership.
Every community in Gonja land must be rightfully adressed. Communities currently named with foreign names in settler towns must revert or change to their proper naming as attributed to the identity of the Gonja Kingdom. Chiefs are to be enskinned only by Gonja to protect the authority of the kingdom at all costs. No community within Gonja territory should exist without a recognized Gonja chief. No matter how small it is
Of importance, too, is how the Gonjas treat their warriors-the men who defend the land when peace collapses. They should be greatly appreciated, respected, and taken care of. Their sacrifices should never be forgotten. No kingdom will last without protecting those who protect it.
This is not a call to tribal antagonism; it is a call to strategic awakening. The Gonjas are not weak; they are only very trusting, accommodating, silent in the face of consistent provocation. That silence has become a liability.
If the peace of Gonja is to be lasting, its leadership must balance peace with preparedness, hospitality with firmness, and liberality with policy. Wishful thinking on that score is at an end.
It is a question of either revival or regret for the Gonja Kingdom. The choice is not speeches, but action. Unity, foresight, and strong leadership will be the choices at which point the next generation inherits strength or yet another story of what could have been. The Gonja leadership must open their eyes.
By: Jafo Akunatu Pankani
Disclaimer: The views expressed are absolutely those of the writer and do not represent the official position of any group, organization or radio station publishing this article. This is not a tribal or divisive statement; rather, it is a responsible call on Gonja leaders to wide their eyes open and act in defense of the peace, dignity, and future of the kingdom.
