Four individuals, including an infant, were killed in a brutal attack on a commercial bus near Kukua Loagri along the Walewale-Tamale highway on Thursday, marking another grim escalation in the volatile Bawku conflict.
Security sources confirmed the victims—three adults and a child—were burned beyond recognition after armed assailants ambushed the vehicle, opened fire, and set it ablaze.
The bus, traveling from Widana in the Upper East Region to Kumasi, reportedly developed mechanical issues overnight, forcing passengers and crew to halt for repairs. As the driver and conductor worked on the vehicle early Thursday morning, attackers stormed the scene, unleashing indiscriminate gunfire before torching the bus. The perpetrators fled into nearby bushes, evading capture as security forces arrived.
This attack follows a similar ambush just two days prior near Wulugu, where three passengers died in another bus burning. The recent spate of violence on the Bolgatanga-Walewale-Tamale highway has heightened fears of a deliberate campaign targeting civilians amid Bawku’s protracted chieftaincy crisis. While no group has claimed responsibility, security agencies suspect the assaults are linked to renewed tensions between factions in Bawku, a region plagued by decades of land and sovereignty disputes.
In a separate overnight attack, three more lives were lost in Gumyoko, Binduri District, underscoring the conflict’s widening reach. Authorities have yet to establish a clear motive but warn of retaliatory cycles fueled by longstanding grievances.
The attacks have cast a shadow over travel in northern Ghana, with security forces ramping up patrols along high-risk corridors. Officials urge civilians to exercise extreme caution, though residents criticize the measures as reactive rather than preventive. “How many more must die before this ends?” lamented a Walewale community leader, speaking anonymously for safety. “Children are now casualties in a war they don’t understand.”
Analysts argue the violence reflects deeper systemic failures, including stalled peace talks and insufficient investment in conflict resolution. The Bawku chieftaincy dispute, rooted in colonial-era demarcations, has resisted mediation efforts, with intermittent clashes displacing thousands since 2021.
As families mourn the latest victims, calls grow for urgent dialogue and international intervention. The child’s death, in particular, has ignited outrage, with civil society groups demanding accountability. “This isn’t just a security crisis—it’s a moral collapse,” said a human rights advocate in Accra. “When a baby perishes in flames, every leader should hang their head in shame.”
For now, the highway remains a symbol of fear, its charred vehicles serving as grim reminders of a conflict with no end in sight.
