INTRODUCTION
Members of the Media fraternity, Security representatives present, various Stakeholders present, Ladies & Gentlemen, we wish to very warmly welcome you to this important engagement to throw light on the current happenings in the Binduri District of the Upper East Region. It is often stated that when a society has an interested and vibrant media, the ills perpetrated in the society are minimized for the general good of the People.
We, the concerned residents, traditional leaders, and peace-loving citizens of the Mamprusi community in Binduri, issue this urgent call to the nation’s conscience. This statement is directed to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. John Dramani Mahama; the Hon. Minister of Defence, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah; the Minister for the Interior, Hon. Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka; the Chief of Defence Staff; the National Peace Council; CHRAJ; His Royal Highness, the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II; His royal highness the Nayiri, Naa Bohagu Abdulai Mahami Sheriga, Overlord of Mamprugu, and all stakeholders committed to justice and peace.
The Situation
The long-standing Bawku chieftaincy and tribal conflict has tragically extended to Binduri, where the vulnerable Mamprusi community now faces systematic targeting and existential threats from Kusaasi factions. This campaign is not mere hostility—it is a calculated effort to forcibly eliminate Mamprusis from Binduri and Gumyoko through coordinated attacks, intimidation, and misinformation.
Contrary to the numerous efforts to paint Mamprusis as aggressors, the record shows clearly: the Mamprusi people of Binduri and Gumyoko have consistently shown restraint, responding only to defend their homes, families, and lives. Despite this, we have suffered countless acts of violence—homes torched, livestock destroyed, civilians killed. These attacks are neither spontaneous nor isolated. They are organized and genocidal in nature. Series of these banditry acts include;
The list goes on and on dating as far back as 2022 when the first attack occurred in the Binduri District following the unfortunate spill-over from the conflict in Bawku where, targeted women from Bawku who had come to the Atuba market to transact their business were attacked and had their shops and items burnt to ashes by these Kusasi assailants captured on video holding weapons in the market.
On April 5, 2023, Mr. Gumah Tahiru (Gumyoko Damba Naba) was killed on a hot sunny day while resting. This was during the Holy month of Ramadan. Also, his brother Gumah Clement met his untimely death on his route home from Bazua market just few meters away from the Frimps Oil filing station in Bazua. This sad event occurred on September 5 ,2023.
Additionally, at about 7.00pm on Thursday 22nd of June 2023, six gun-wielding young men riding three motor-cycles and without any provocation opened gunfire on the Binduri youth, instantly killing one Innocent Fusheini Hamidu and critically injuring Aminu Issifu who was rushed to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital. Sadly, he passed on Wednesday, 28th of June 2023.
Furthermore, another incident occurred in Nayoko No.1 Community, where the Assemblyman of the Nayoko Electoral Area, Dramani Hamidu was shot at a close range while sitting in a shop by his house at about 7.00pm on Friday, 23rd of June 2023. Interestingly, all the above victims are Mamprusis by birth and all occurred in Mamprusi dominated communities.
As if these unfortunate incidences were not enough, there have been continued persistent attacks and threats by people from Temasug, Bazua, Benguur and Poyamiiri all neighbouring communities of Binduri. Over the last 6 weeks, seven (8) lives in Binduri and eight (8) in Gumyoko were needlessly lost (murdered), whilst several houses were burnt and cattle killed as a result of 5 attacks in the two (2) communities
Also, a bus under military escort travelling from Bawku to Bolgatanga was attacked by Kusasi gunmen at Bazua in Binduri leading to the loss of one life.
One other most heartbreaking example of this tragedy occurred recently in Benguri, also a suburb of Binduri where, a woman and her children were brutally murdered by Kusaasi assailants, who accused her of being an informant simply because she occasionally traveled into Binduri. This heinous act underscores the extremity of the hatred and suspicion now fueling the violence. What makes this crime even more disturbing is the false narrative now being circulated—that it was Mamprusis from Binduri who raided Benguri and killed the woman and her children. This is categorically false. The truth is clear: she was killed by Kusasis who viewed her contact with Binduri as a threat. Even worse, this false narrative is being actively promoted by individuals in Bazua—a known Kusaasi-dominated area—who, according to our intel, are influencing the military command with misinformation. These distortions have led to disproportionate and unjust military actions in Binduri, further victimizing an already-besieged community.
On April 13, 2025, two off-duty police officers were fatally shot and killed at poyamiiri in the Binduri district by these Kusasi assailants in Binduri while travelling on a private motorbike from Bongo to Binduri.
On May 10, 2025 at Gumyoko, a vulnerable Mamprusi community in the Binduri District, a group of Kusaasi bandits on motorbikes during curfew hours, invaded the community with weapons and in the process, succeeded in burning 12 houses. This cowardly act of arson, took place without any interventions; arrests, or subsequent investigations. Friends from the Media, Gumyoko is less than 6 Km from the Bazua Military barracks. The question is that “Where were the Security forces? Could it be that they were compromised? Or were they scarred of the Kusasi bandits?
Shockingly, the night before that, on Friday May 9, 2025, heavily armed Kusasis mobilized and launched an attack on Binduri, burning homes and shooting animals in a brazen act of ethnic violence. Yet again, no action was taken against the perpetrators. Military troops from Bazua quickly after the attack besieged the community, not to arrest the attackers, but to raid the homes of Mamprusis, breaking doors and ransacking properties under the pretext of searching for weapons in the same Community that has been under a constant attack since March, 2025. This pattern of victim-blaming and reverse accountability is not only unjust but dangerous. It erodes public trust in state institutions and escalates tensions while grooming the youth of today as terrorists in the future (DR Congo can be a place to learn from).
State Security Complicity
There is currently only one military post with about 10 personnel stationed in Binduri, among the vulnerable Mamprusi population which is inadequate for effective operations.
Despite repeated attacks emanating from Kusaasi communities, no military operations, searches, or arrests have taken place in Bazua or other Kusaasi areas. Rather, the houses of the Mamprusis have been raided three times by heavily armed troops.
We strongly believe the constant military neglect and unfair treatment of the security apparatus towards the good people of Binduri is as a result of political and traditional interference. The newly nominated District Chief Executive (who woefully failed to be endorsed by the assembly members), Mr. Ariku Martin, and the Kusaasi community chief, Mr. Robert Akolbila, including some prominent opinion leaders of the Kusasis are actively manipulating the military command structure. Their influence over the military authority has resulted to this bias inhuman treatment from the military operations solely against Mamprusis. This deliberate targeting must be exposed and condemned for what it is: a weaponization of state power against the Mamprusis.
Furthermore, the political and traditional interference in the Binduri District, is glaring in the eyes of all well-meaning Ghanaians, considering the manner in which the DISEC, RESEC and the Interior Ministry implement Curfew measures. The Interior Ministry in its bid to tackle the insecurity in the area is rather making a mockery with these measures. You institute a ban on motor riding in the Binduri township and its environment from your own security intelligences and the next 2 days relax such security measure even though the insecurity situation worsens day in and day out, who does that?
Demands for Justice and Accountability
This abuse of power and betrayal of public trust cannot be allowed to continue. The continued deployment of some compromised security offices in Bazua is unacceptable. We therefore demand the following immediate actions:
An independent investigation into the actions and conduct of the military officers stationed in Bazua. To identify the bad ones.
The immediate removal, punishment and reassignment of these identified military officers, whose actions are no longer impartial thereby contributing to escalating tensions.
An immediate end to the interference of the political and traditional actors in the security operations.
An immediate ban on motor riding within Binduri and its environs. Here we want to admonish that government avoids falling for the needless propaganda of the Kusasis, to lift the ban or review it. You will realize that anytime it is being lifted, these bandits follow up with attacks. We have videos and audios of a number of them on social media mounting pressure on the government to review motor curfew. If Bawku can endure it for over two years, why can’t Binduri for the sake of peace?
We are calling for an increased number of military posts permanently stationed in Binduri Central, Gumyoko and Nayoko NO 1.
Fair and balanced disarmament operations, applied equally to both Kusaasi and Mamprusi communities to restore credibility and peace.
Protection and support for displaced Mamprusi families whose homes have been burned and livelihoods destroyed.
A public assurance from the Presidency and Ministry of Defense that the military will act with neutrality and not serve as an ethnic weapon.
A Call for National and International Action
The situation in Binduri bears an alarming resemblance to the early warning signs of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, where a minority was slowly and silently exterminated while the world looked the other way. Ghana must not make the same mistake. Peace cannot be negotiated while one community is being targeted and erased in silence. This has reached a very critical threshold. We are very much convinced that poor governance, lack of justice and the creeping failure of the security apparatus is what has emboldened these assailants this far in their quest to wipe out an entire Community. We have evidence of videos, audios and texts of Kusaasi youth either calling for these attacks or celebrating the aftermaths of these attacks. We will not hesitate to share with you the media.
These bandits mostly use motorbikes following the review of the ban on motor riding by the hon minister of the Interior, so the question we ask is, why is Bawku Central which has been relatively calm for a while now still under intense restriction while Binduri is left vulnerable to attacks despite the active militant operations. The review of the ban on motor riding has undeniably created a loophole for these bandits to continue to infiltrate the district consistently with arms to either attack Mamprusi households or burn them to ashes yet government still finds it necessary to allow riding of motorbikes. One may not be mistaken to say the government’s handling of the situation is not only incompetent but politically compromised. We call on the Otumfuo-led mediation team to urgently consider these developments. Real peace must be rooted in justice and equal protection, not silence and sacrifice.
We are calling on the International Community, including the United Nations, ECOWAS, the International Media, and all those with influence, to step in and help. The government of Ghana is clearly not able to handle this conflict, which has already taken the lives of thousands of people, even though the national media hardly reports on it and whenever they do, it is mostly biased and one-sided, giving more airtime to the Kusasi faction to further propagate their propaganda
We also want to remind the international community of what the former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in 1999 to the Security Council about protecting civilians in armed conflict. He said, “The plight of civilians is no longer something which can be neglected, or made secondary because it complicates political negotiations or interests. It is fundamental to the central mandate of the Organization. The responsibility for the protection of civilians cannot be transferred to others.” Based on this, we want to bring to your attention the Responsibility to Protect Principle in international law, which says:
States are responsible for protection of their own citizens specifically from War crimes, Crimes against humanity, Genocide, Ethnic cleansing
International community must assist them to do this
If a state cannot or will not protect its citizens, the international community has a responsibility to protect them with decisive and timely action
We, the Mamprusis of Binduri, will not hesitate to defend ourselves if these attacks continue and the responsible local and international bodies do not act quickly. However, we are also very aware of the dangers of letting the situation grow into something like what happened in Rwanda, or more recently in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There, ethnic Tutsis, feeling abandoned and unprotected by their government while facing genocidal attacks, had no choice but to take up arms and formed the M23 rebel group.
This group, which was born from frustration and a desperate need to survive, has now grown into a powerful force, capable of defeating not only the Congolese national army (FARDC) but also the regional forces from the Southern African Development Community (SADF). This is not the path we wish to take.
We still believe the government and the international community can act in time to bring justice, security, and protection for everyone. This will stop the seeds of rebellion and extremism from growing in our land.
Let Binduri not become a footnote in another preventable tragedy.
We are of the strong view that until bold, impartial and strategic interventions, including the recommendations we have listed above, are made, the instability in the area risks escalating into a fully blown insurgency that will extend to other parts of the region and beyond.
To all Ghanaians of conscience, we appeal to your sense of justice: Stand with us, not for power, not for revenge, but for survival, dignity, and the right to live in peace.
We are Mamprusis.
WE CANNOT AND WILL NEVER BECOME KUSASIS OVERNIGHT.
We are Ghanaians.
We deserve Justice.
We demand Peace now.
Long Live Ghana
Long Live Binduri
Long Live Mamprugu.
Signed: Peter Adams Gumah
(President – BINDURI MAYA)
Co-Signed: Concerned Residents and Traditional Leaders of the Mamprusi Community in Binduri
Cc: (copied)
Government & State Institutions (Ghana)
The Ministry of Defense
The Ministry of the Interior
Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Chief of Defense Staff
Ghana Police Service, Inspector-General of Police (IGP)
Military Command Bazua
National Peace Council (NPC)
Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ)
National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS)
Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Interior
The National House of Chiefs
The Majority Leader of parliament
The Minority Leader of Parliament
Traditional and Religious Authorities
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II – Asantehene (especially as head of the mediation team)
The Nayiri, Naa Bohagu Abdulai Mahami Sheriga, Overlord of Mamprugu
National Chief Imam
Christian Council of Ghana
Office of the National Peace Ambassador(s)
Media and Civil Society
Ghana Journalists Association (GJA)
Media Foundation for West Africa
Citi FM/TV, JoyNews, GhanaWeb, TV3, GTV, and other national media outlets
Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana)
Ghana Center for Peace Development
Legal Resources Centre
International Bodies and NGOs
United Nations Office in Ghana (UN Resident Coordinator)
UN Human Rights Council (via the Ghana desk or Geneva)
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP Ghana)
Office of the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide
African Union (Peace and Security Council)
ECOWAS Commission (Early Warning Directorate)
Amnesty International – Ghana and International
Human Rights Watch
International Crisis Group
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Government of Ireland (@merrionstreet, @dfatirl, @MichealMartinTD, @simoncoveney)
United States Government (@WhiteHouse, @StateDept, @USAID)
US Department of State Bureau of African Affairs (@AsstSecStateAF)
United Kingdom Government (@10DowningStreet, @FCDOGovUK)
UK Minister for Africa (@AndrewmitchMP)
