Six additional passengers were rescued on Thursday, August 28, 2025, after a boat accident on the Black Volta at Dinie Tuonbo in Northern Ghana, bringing the total number of survivors to 12.
However, eight others are feared drowned after the vessel carrying displaced persons capsized while attempting to cross the river. Reports indicate that the boat had 20 passengers on board at the time of the tragedy.
The travelers were fleeing Gbiniyiri, a farming community in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region, following renewed violence linked to a land dispute.
On August 26, the Chief’s Palace in Gbiniyiri was torched amid escalating tensions, days after clashes had already left six people dead and 18 others wounded.
The disturbances were sparked when the local chief sold land to a private developer, a decision bitterly opposed by residents, leading to fierce resistance.
The violence on August 24 claimed five lives, with another death reported the following day.
Several of the injured remain in critical condition, suffering from gunshot and machete wounds.
As a result of the continuing conflict, many residents, particularly women and children, have been forced to flee their homes, while houses and properties in the area lie in ruins.
