Doba-Kandiga land dispute: One dead, five arrested in renewed clash

One person has been shot dead after a renewed communal conflict between the residents of Doba in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality and Kandiga in the Kassena-Nankana West District.

Five people have been arrested in connection with the clash and are currently in police custody assisting investigation and to be processed for court.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr David Fianko-Okyere, Public Relations Officer, Upper East Regional Police Command, confirmed the incident to the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga and said the clash occurred in the evening of Sunday, May 22, 2022.

He said the renewed clash was related to the recent land dispute in the area between the chiefs and people of the two communities.

According to ASP Fianko-Okyere, calm had been restored to the area, while security services continued to work to arrest perpetuators.

The communal conflict started in 2020 when the two communities claimed ownership of a land on which a Police post and a Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound were to be constructed.

The conflict then led to gunshots from the two factions leading to loss of lives, destruction of property such as houses and farmlands particularly through burning.

It also led people to seek safe haven elsewhere, prompting the Upper East Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to form a joint military and police operation team to keep the place calm and maintain law and order.

The Ministry of the Interior has also imposed a curfew in the area.

Source: GNA