Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak has renewed curfew restrictions for Bawku Municipality and surrounding areas in the Upper East Region, effective Monday, November 24, 2025. The measure requires residents to remain indoors between 8:00 pm and 5:00 am daily, implemented through an Executive Instrument following recommendations from the National Security Council (NSC). The government has imposed a complete ban on carrying arms, ammunition, or offensive weapons throughout the affected zones. Authorities have warned that anyone found possessing such items faces immediate arrest and prosecution. The directive represents the latest attempt to manage security in an area experiencing decades of conflict. The ministry called on chiefs, elders, opinion leaders, youth and residents to exercise restraint when confronting challenges in their community. Officials urged stakeholders to channel their efforts through non-violent means as the government works to establish lasting peace in the municipality. Bawku has remained under various curfew restrictions since November 2021, when violence linked to longstanding chieftaincy disputes between the Kusasi and Mamprusi ethnic groups intensified dramatically. The conflict has its roots in competing claims over the paramount chieftaincy, known locally as the Bawku skin, and associated land authority stretching back to the colonial era. The Kusasi community, comprising the numerical majority in the area, regards itself as the indigenous population with traditional land custodianship through earth-priest institutions called tindaana. The Mamprusi community traces its authority to the historic Mamprugu kingdom and emphasizes traditional appointments made by the Nayiri, their paramount chief based in Nalerigu. British colonial administrators institutionalized these competing claims through the indirect rule framework, creating administrative structures that favored one group over another at different periods. Post-independence governments have repeatedly reversed earlier determinations regarding legitimate chieftaincy claims, deepening mistrust between communities. The 1958 Opoku-Afari Committee recognized a Kusasi candidate as the legitimate Bawku Naba, but the 1966 coup government issued National Liberation Council Decree (NLCD) 112 shifting recognition toward Mamprusi claims. In 1983, Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) Law 75 restored Kusasi paramountcy, though this determination has remained contested. Since violence resumed in late 2021, casualty figures have climbed steadily. The municipal chief executive stated in August 2023 that close to 200 people had died since November 2021, exceeding official police records. A 2024 policy assessment by the Clingendael Institute similarly documented hundreds of conflict-related fatalities during the 2021 to 2024 period. Recent months have witnessed particularly severe escalations. In July 2025, violence surged again following the killing of a Kusasi chief and attacks on educational institutions where gunmen killed three high school students. The government responded by deploying additional soldiers and tightening curfew enforcement, which had previously operated from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am before the current adjustment. The conflict has displaced more than 30,000 residents according to multiple reports, disrupting farming activities, trading relationships and essential service delivery in health and education sectors. Business closures have occurred repeatedly during violence surges, with professionals departing the area during escalation periods. Security expert Professor Kwesi Aning has argued that the conflict has evolved beyond its chieftaincy origins, suggesting that organized crime networks and transnational actors now exploit the instability for their own interests. He warned that viewing the situation solely through ethnic or traditional authority lenses obscures newer dynamics driving continued violence. The government has pursued various interventions including specialized taskforces, sustained military and police deployments, and dialogue initiatives. The Bawku Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee, established in 2009 with civil society support, has facilitated community-level engagement. Organizations including the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) have supported mediation and early warning systems with backing from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). President John Mahama, who took office in January 2025, visited Bawku early in his term to meet with traditional rulers from both sides. He held discussions with Bawku Naba Zugraan Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, recognized by Kusasi communities since April 1984, and the Nayiri of the Mamprugu Traditional Area. The president emphasized that achieving peace ranks among his administration’s top priorities. The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has agreed to lead mediation efforts between the conflicting parties. His successful facilitation of the Dagbon chieftaincy dispute resolution has raised hopes that similar processes might yield progress in Bawku. The Asantehene has chaired formal sessions with representatives from both ethnic groups since 2023. Neighboring countries’ security situations add complexity to the challenge. Bawku sits near the border with Burkina Faso, where militant groups operate in unstable regions. Small arms proliferation across porous borders has equipped armed factions within Bawku, making enforcement more dangerous for security personnel. Several forestry staff and law enforcement officers have been killed or severely injured during operations. Former President Nana Akufo-Addo, in his final State of the Nation address in February 2025, expressed sorrow over how a once-thriving commercial hub had deteriorated into what he described as a wasteland of destruction and distrust. He warned that Bawku’s vulnerability made it an attractive target for extremists operating across borders. The economic impact extends beyond immediate violence costs. Resources that could support development projects instead fund security operations and emergency responses. The municipality’s strategic location as a trading center connecting Ghana to Burkina Faso and other West African markets means that continued instability disrupts regional commerce. Accusations of security force misconduct have complicated peace efforts. In July 2025, Members of Parliament (MPs) representing six Kusasi-majority constituencies accused the Ghana Armed Forces of killing six civilians and injuring more than 20 others during what they termed an unprovoked attack. The MPs demanded formal apologies, prosecutions, compensation and strategic reviews of military operations. Curfew renewals have become routine administrative actions as authorities struggle to contain sporadic violence. The Interior Ministry has adjusted hours multiple times throughout 2025, sometimes tightening restrictions to 6:00 pm starts during severe escalations, then easing to 8:00 pm during relatively calmer periods. The situation remains volatile with armed confrontations occurring along major routes including the Bawku-Bolgatanga-Tamale highway. Daily gun battles in some neighborhoods force residents to adjust their movements and economic activities around security concerns. Critics argue that security measures alone cannot resolve underlying grievances about traditional authority, land rights and resource access that fuel the conflict. They advocate for comprehensive approaches addressing historical injustices, economic marginalization and institutional frameworks that perpetuate competing legitimacy claims. The government faces pressure to demonstrate that its approach differs from previous unsuccessful strategies. Questions persist about whether current military deployments and curfew regimes provide stability or simply suppress visible conflict without addressing root causes. As the curfew renewal takes effect, residents continue navigating restricted movement while hoping that parallel mediation efforts produce breakthrough agreements. The challenge involves balancing immediate security imperatives with longer-term reconciliation processes that could finally end one of Ghana’s most protracted internal conflicts.