Communal clashes in northern Ghana kill 31 people, displace 48,000 others

Communal clashes in northern Ghana that started late last month have killed at least 31 people and displaced nearly 50,000, officials said on Thursday, with more than 13,000 fleeing across the border into Côte d'Ivoire.

The violence in Ghana's Savannah Region broke out on August 24 in the village of Gbiniyiri, near the Côte d'Ivoire border, the result of an escalating land dispute that has engulfed a dozen communities.

The conflict began when the local chief sold a parcel of land to a private developer, without broader community consent. When the developer attempted to access the land to begin work, residents resisted violently.

Frustration reached a peak when the chief's palace was set on fire.

Women and children most affected

Interior Minister Mubarak Muntaka said in a radio interview on Thursday that 13,253 Ghanaians had crossed into Côte d'Ivoire, citing figures from Côte d'Ivoire authorities.

Philippe Hien, president of the Bounkani regional council, told AFP that "there are 13,000 people who have arrived in 17 villages" in the area, which is already home to 30,000 refugees from Burkina Faso.