Politics, Chieftaincy and Violent Extremism: Case of Chereponi-Wenchiki in Ghana-Togo Border

David Suaka Yaro; Daniel Dramani Kipo-Sunyehzi

doi:10.51867/AQSSR.1.3.2

Authors

David Suaka Yaro, PhD University of Technology and Applied Sciences. Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPCS), CKT-UTAS, Navrongo, Ghana Author https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8220-1720
Daniel Dramani Kipo-Sunyehzi Senior Research Fellow, University of Ghana, Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD), P. O. Box LG 25 Accra, Ghana Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3697-3333

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51867/AQSSR.1.3.2

Keywords:

Chieftaincy, Ghana, Politics, Violent Extremism

Abstract

This study examined three issues, namely politics, violent extremism, and chieftaincy issues, in the Ghana-Togo border communities to determine which variable(s) influenced the other. This paper examines the relationship between violent extremism, politics, and chieftaincy conflicts in Ghana's North East region. It attempts to see if there is any linkage or connection between or among the three variables in the context of conflict and security along the two West African countries' borders (Ghana and Togo). Edward Azar's (1990) Protracted Conflict Theory (PCT), later emphasized by Bat-Tal (2000), guided the study. This study posits that politics and chieftaincy conflicts are the primary causes of violent extremism. In this regard, the study seeks the opinions, views, and experiences of the people in the Chereponi district, especially the communities along the Ghana-Togo borders. The study adopted an exploratory research design with a blend of experts' and non-experts' perspectives in the North East Region of Ghana and a few communities in Togo. The experts are spread across five regions of Northern Ghana, whereas the non-experts are concentrated in the Chereponi district. Twenty (20) respondents were interviewed face-to-face. The study found that the two major political parties (NPP and NDC) in Ghana were more involved in promoting the interests of some chiefs for political expediency. It found no link between politics and chieftaincy, leading to violent extremism. The study concludes that there is a clear link between politics and the chieftaincy institution in Ghana, but it also establishes that the Ghana-Togo border is free of extremist activities. It recommends a strong collaboration between Ghana and Togo in the fight against insecurity and possible acts of violent extremism along their borders.

References

Abotchwey, C. (2006). Has the position of the chief become anachronistic in contemporary Ghanaian politics? In I. K. Odotei & A. K. Awedoba (Eds.), Chieftaincy in Ghana: Culture, Governance and Development (Vol. 1, p. 169). Accra: Sub-Saharan Publishers.

Agbiloko, G. O., & Chiotu, N. (2021). Management of electoral conflict in Africa: Comparative analysis of Nigeria and Ghana. In Perspectives on conflict prevention, management and resolution in Africa (Vol. 224, No. 1). Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Abuja FCT, Nigeria.

Agyeman, D. K. (2008). Managing diversity and ethnic conflicts. In Ghana governance in the Fourth Republic (pp. 77-96). Accra, Ghana: Digibooks Ghana Limited.

Agyeman, O. L. (2020). Chieftaincy conflicts and development: Insight from Bawku traditional area (Master's thesis). Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.

Alhassan, E., Abdul Karim, I., & Degraft Arthur, D. (2017). Implications of the Bawku chieftaincy conflict on basic education in the Bawku traditional area of the Upper East Region of Ghana. UDS International Journal of Development, 3(2), 60-69. Available at http://www.udsijd.org.

Anamzoya, A. S. (2013). Chieftaincy is dead: Long live chieftaincy: Renewed relevance of chieftaincy in postcolonial Ghana. The African Review: A Journal of African Politics, Development and International Affairs, 40(2), 115-139.

Asamoah, J. K. (2019). The role of electoral administration and conflict resolution in Africa: A comparative study. Public Policy and Administration Research, 9(7), 37-56. https://doi.org/10.7176/PPAR DOI: https://doi.org/10.7176/PPAR

Awedoba, A. K. (2009). An ethnographic study of Northern Ghana conflicts: Towards a sustainable peace. Sub-Saharan Publishers.

Azar, E. E. (1990). The management of protracted social conflicts: Theory and cases. Dartmouth Publishing Company.

Barkindo, A. (2020). The Sahel: A new theatre for global jihadist groups? Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses, 12(2), 21-26.

Bar-Tal, D. (2000). From intractable conflict through conflict resolution to reconciliation: A psychological analysis. Political Psychology, 21, 351-365. https://doi.org/10.1111/0162-895X.00192 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/0162-895X.00192

Bonotti, M., & Weinstock, D. (2021). Introduction: Parties, electoral systems and political theory. Representation, 57(3), 287-295. https://doi.org/10.1080/00344893.2021.1960590 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00344893.2021.1960590

Botchwey, G. A. (2006). Steps to self-reliance for groups and communities. Cape Coast: Catholic Mission Press.

Boyle, M. J. (2008). The war on terror in American grand strategy. International Affairs, 84(2), 191-209. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2346.2008.00699.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2346.2008.00699.x

Bukari, M. I. F., Kendie, B. S., Sulemana, M., & Galaa, Z. S. (2017). The effects of chieftaincy and land conflicts on the socio-political development of Northern Ghana. International Journal of Social Science Research. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijssr.v5i1.11008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5296/ijssr.v5i1.11008

Burton, J. W. (1990). Conflict: Resolution and prevention. London: Macmillan and New York: St. Martins Press.

Coleman, J., Dal Santo, E., Demuynck, M., Vellage, L., & Vermeersch, E. (2021). Dynamics of support and engagement: Understanding Malian youths' attitudes towards violent extremism. Report, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - The Hague.

Coleman, P. T. (2000). Intractable conflicts. In M. Deutch & P. T. Coleman (Eds.), The handbook of conflict resolution: Theory and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage Publications.

Demuynck, M. (2021). Civilians on the front lines of (counter-) terrorism: Lessons from the volunteers for the defence of the homeland in Burkina Faso. Policy Brief, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. https://doi.org/10.19165/2021.2.08 DOI: https://doi.org/10.19165/2021.2.08

Flick, U. (2007). Social representations. In C. Willig & W. Stainton-Rogers (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of qualitative research in psychology. London: Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781848607927.n12 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781848607927.n12

Geertz, C. (1988). The politics of meaning. In The interpretation of cultures. Basic Books.

Ghana Statistical Services. (2021). Ghana 2021 population and housing census. Accra: GSS.

Government of Ghana. (1992). The Constitution of the Republic of Ghana. Accra: Asempa Publishers.

Halawayhi, F. (2017). Chieftaincy among migrant communities in Ghana: The case of the Dagbamba in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. The International Journal of Science & Technology, 5(10), 54-60.

International Crisis Group. (2021). Crisis watch: Burkina Faso. International Crisis Group.

Kipo-Sunyehzi, D., Yaro, D. S., & Titigah, G. (2024). International conflict resolution: The role of the Government of Ghana and Togo on the Wenchiki-Chereponi chieftaincy conflict. Eastern African Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(1), 15-28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58721/eajhss.v3i1.442

https://doi.org/10.58721/eajhss.v3i1.442 DOI: https://doi.org/10.58721/eajhss.v3i1.442

Kometer, M. W. (2004). Nature of terrorism. In The new terrorism: The nature of the war on terrorism (pp. 5-17). Air University Press.

Lord, K. M., Nagl, J. A., & Rosen, S. D. (2009). Beyond bullets: A pragmatic strategy to combat violent Islamist extremism. Center for a New American Security.

Mahama, E. S., & Longi, F. T. (2013). Conflicts in Northern Ghana: Search for solutions, stakeholders and way forward. Institute for Continuous Education and Interdisciplinary Studies, University for Development Studies Tamale, Ghana. GJDS, 10(1 & 2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/gjds.v10i1-2.7

https://doi.org/10.4314/gjds.v10i1-2.7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/gjds.v10i1-2.7

Mahama, I. (2011). Ethnic conflicts in Northern Ghana. Tamale: Cyber Systems.

Mawuko-Yevugah, M. L., & Attipoe, A. H. (2021). Chieftaincy and traditional authority in modern democratic Ghana. South African Journal of Philosophy, 40(3), 319-335. https://doi.org/10.1080/02580136.2021.1964206 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02580136.2021.1964206

Nambiema, I. M. (2012). 'Counting votes and bodies,' election-related conflicts in Africa: A comparative study of Ghana and Kenya (Master's thesis, Wright State University).

Owusu-Mensah, I. (2014). Politics, chieftaincy and customary law in Ghana's Fourth Republic. The Journal of Pan African Studies, 6(7), 261-278.

Price, E. (2014). Bibliography: (Countering) violent extremism and terrorism. Perspectives on Terrorism, 8(2), 92-102.

Sidanius, J., & Pratto, F. (1999). Social dominance: An intergroup theory of social hierarchy and oppression. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139175043 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139175043

Sithole, T. (2018). A review of the African Union framework and mechanism on political peace and security. Journal of African Union Studies (JoAUS), 7(1), 67-90. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31920/2050-4306/2018/v7n1a4

https://doi.org/10.31920/2050-4306/2018/v7n1a4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31920/2050-4306/2018/v7n1a4

Suleiman, D. M. (2017). Global insecurity and local conflicts in Ghana. Peace Review, 29(3), 315-324. https://doi.org/10.1080/10402659.2017.1344759 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10402659.2017.1344759

Sulemana, M. (2012). Understanding the causes and impacts of conflicts on the Northern Region of Ghana. Ghana Policy Journal, 3(1), 115-125.

Thrall, A. T., & Goepner, E. (2017). Step back: Lessons for U.S. foreign policy from the failed war on terror. Cato Institute.

Wickham, J. A. (2002). September 11 and America's war on terrorism: A new manifest destiny? American Indian Quarterly, 26(1), 116-144. https://doi.org/10.1353/aiq.2003.0014 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/aiq.2003.0014

Yaro, S., & Tseer, T. (2019). Exploring the state of human insecurity in Nigeria: The root causes of the farmers-herdsmen conflict in Benue State and its manifestation on the livelihood of rural farmers and pastoralists. Addrai Journal of Social Sciences, 16(6), 4.

Yaro, S., Tseer, T., & Kombiok, D. (2018). Exploring the African traditional conflict resolution mechanisms for resolving conflicts in Africa. Journal of Sociology and Education, 16(4), 21.