Kusasi and Mamprusi communities residing in Kumasi have taken a significant step toward peace, signing a memorandum of understanding to prevent the Bawku conflict from spilling into the Ashanti Region.
The agreement comes after a wave of violence in Asawase and Asokore Mampong in July, which left two people dead, including the Kusasi Chief of Ashanti, Abdul-Malik Azenbe. Security sources linked the attacks to the ongoing Kusasi–Mamprusi feud in Bawku, prompting the Ashanti Regional Security Council to intensify surveillance in affected areas.
A seven-member mediation committee, set up by the Regional Coordinating Council and led by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, engaged both factions separately before convening a joint meeting. This culminated in the signing of the peace pact at the Ashanti Regional Police Command on Thursday, September 11.
DSP Godwin Ahianyo, Head of Public Relations at the Ashanti Regional Police Command, explained the process: “Recently, we had some disturbances in Asawase and its enclave. And people were pointing accusatory fingers and other things. So the Regional Coordinating Council, led by the Regional Minister, set up a committee to meet the two groups, as in the Kusasi and the Mamprusi. And then listen to them, after which there will be an MOU that both parties will sign, in order to have a very peaceful coexistence in the region.
“So this morning at 10:00 a.m. both parties were here, and then the committee met them, and then had some form of discussion, after which they asked them to sign a memorandum of understanding that will bring a very lasting, peaceful kind of coexistence between the two groups.
“So basically, that was why this meeting came on today at the Regional Headquarters, at the Al-Asad Conference Hall.”
Leaders of both communities pledged to uphold peace in their respective constituencies. Ashanti Regional Vice Chairman of the Mamprusi Youth Association, Tufeiru, and Chairman of the Kusasi Chiefs Association of Ashanti Region, Naaba Winyellesom Ndeego, reiterated their commitment.
“Today’s meeting was to sign a peace treaty agreement between the Mamprusi and the Kusasi, and we have done so. We have been tasked to go home and advise our people to see each other as brothers and sisters.
“We are not importing any conflict from Bawku or anywhere to the Ashanti Region, or Kumasi to be precise. Because we are here for businesses, we have agreed that each community to conduct business peacefully without any violence.”
Security officials also urged community members to provide timely information to help prevent further incidents, emphasizing that the success of the peace pact depends on collective cooperation and vigilance.
This initiative marks a proactive effort to protect Kumasi from becoming a battleground for external conflicts, demonstrating the impact of local mediation in fostering intercommunal harmony.
