At least 31 people have been killed and nearly 48,000 displaced following violent tribal clashes in northern Ghana, the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) announced. The violence erupted on August 24 in the village of Gbinieri, Savannah region, near the border with Côte d’Ivoire, over a land dispute involving around ten local groups.

The conflict escalated after a local chief sold a piece of land to a private developer without community consent. When the developer attempted to access the land, residents resisted, leading to violent confrontations and the burning of the chief’s palace.

Interior Minister Mubarak Muntaka confirmed that 13,253 Ghanaians had already fled into Côte d’Ivoire, while local Ivorian officials reported that refugees have settled in 17 border villages already hosting around 30,000 Burkinabè refugees.

In response, Ghanaian authorities deployed more than 700 military and police personnel and imposed a curfew to restore order. A fact-finding committee has also been established to investigate the roots of the violence and work toward reconciliation.

Land-related disputes and chieftaincy conflicts are common in northern Ghana, but rarely have they triggered displacement on such a large scale.