Ghana: The Border Dispute That Could Ignite a Regional Crisis

Edited by: Fatimatou babdin

Violence erupted in late July 2025 in the town of Bawku, just miles from Ghana’s northern frontier with Burkina Faso, when gunmen assassinated a prominent Kusasi chief along with three high school students. This latest flare-up stems from a long-standing chieftaincy dispute between the Mamprusi and Kusasi ethnic groups. However, the recent escalation in brutality prompted the Ghanaian government to deploy military reinforcements, impose a strict curfew, and evacuate local schools—clear indicators that national authorities view the security situation in the Upper East Region as spiraling out of control.

Security analysts are increasingly concerned that what began as a localized ethnic feud could evolve into a much broader regional crisis. Ghana shares a nearly 600-kilometer porous border with Burkina Faso, where jihadist insurgents affiliated with groups like Jamaʿat Nasr al‑Islam wal‑Muslimin (JNIM) have gained control of vast territories. These militants have used Ghana’s northern territories as logistical rear bases—restocking supplies, receiving medical care, and quietly recruiting among vulnerable border communities. Although Ghana has not yet suffered a major jihadist attack, many fear that the ethnic chaos in Bawku could soon serve as a strategic entry point for extremist infiltration.

This volatile mix of entrenched tribal conflict and the looming shadow of Sahelian terrorism has led experts to sound urgent warnings. Ghana’s response—through regional counterterrorism partnerships, military patrols, and civic engagement under initiatives like the Accra Initiative—has been swift but might not be enough. The central fear is that unless the state stabilizes Bawku quickly, it could become the ignition point for a broader destabilization of the Gulf of Guinea, drawing Ghana into the violent spiral currently engulfing the Sahel.