The Savannah Regional Directorate of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) says displaced persons affected by the Gbinyiri conflict have begun returning to their communities.
He said NADMO was liaising with stakeholders, including the Savannah Regional Coordinating Council, to support their resettlement and assist them in regaining their livelihoods.
Savannah Regional Director of NADMO, Mahama Zakaria, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the Sawla Camp, which previously hosted several displaced persons, was now completely empty as all its occupants had returned home.
He explained that at the Ivory Coast Camp, most residents had also gone back to their communities and said he could not confirm exact figures, adding that some individuals leave without formal notification, while others return intermittently due to fear and the lack of sustainable livelihoods.
Along the Burkina Faso border, Mr. Zakaria indicated that the Minister for the Interior was engaging displaced persons to encourage them to return home.
He added that NADMO’s immediate task was focused on facilitating the safe return of those still sheltering along the Burkina Faso border.
He stressed that the most pressing challenge confronting returnees is livelihood recovery and indicated that many of them lost access to farmlands, businesses, and other sources of income during the conflict.
“NADMO is in the process of providing government support to help people who have returned to rebuild their lives,” Mr. Zakaria assured.
The Gbenyiri conflict, which reportedly erupted in early September this year, was triggered by a dispute over a parcel of land between two factions in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region.
It has so far left 31 people dead, displaced more than 40,000 residents, and destroyed several houses and properties.