The Upper East and North East Regions are currently grappling with 77 active conflicts, with land disputes, chieftaincy disagreements, ethnic tensions and farmer-herder clashes identified as the dominant triggers.
A new conflict mapping by the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocesan Development Organisation (NABOCADO) identifies the two regions as among the areas facing significant conflict risks in the country.
NABOCADO warns that several of the disputes have the potential to escalate into violent confrontations if not addressed through timely intervention, threatening livelihoods, peace and development.
Speaking during a conflict-sensitive reporting training for selected journalists in the Upper East Region, NABOCADO’s Director of Justice, Peace and Humanitarian Response, Theophilus Abolga, said stakeholders must move beyond responding to conflicts only after they have erupted.
He called for stronger early warning mechanisms and sustained dialogue platforms to help communities and authorities identify and resolve tensions before they escalate.
Mr Abolga urged traditional authorities, Municipal and District Assemblies, security agencies and civil society organisations to adopt more proactive and inclusive approaches to peacebuilding.
Former Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council in the Upper East Region, Douglas Ali Anankpieng, also urged journalists covering conflict situations to prioritise objectivity, accuracy and balance.
He cautioned journalists against relying on unverified information, stressing the need to cross-check claims with relevant authorities before publishing reports on conflicts.
Secretary of the Upper East Regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Anthony Adongo Apubeo, reinforced the call for caution in conflict reporting.
He urged journalists to seek clarification whenever necessary and ensure that their reports do not inadvertently inflame tensions.
Representing the GJA as a key stakeholder, Mr Apubeo said responsible journalism was essential to ensuring that conflict reporting contributes to peace rather than deepening divisions.
NABOCADO says strengthening community-level early warning and conflict prevention mechanisms remains critical to preventing existing disputes from developing into wider threats to security and development.
Source: Bolgafmonline.com| 102.7 MHz| Bolgatanga
