A middle-aged man has been shot and killed by unknown assailants near Kalba, a suburb of the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District in the Savannah Region.

Police say the deceased, whose name has been withheld, had travelled from his community, Uro—which has no electricity—to Kalba to charge his mobile phone.

He was attacked by gunmen who emerged from the bush and shot him off his motorcycle. He died on the spot.

His body has since been deposited at the St. Anne’s Catholic Hospital in Damongo by the Ghana Police Service.

Local stakeholders believe the incident is linked to the protracted Gbenyiri conflict, which has already claimed multiple lives, destroyed property, and displaced more than 50,000 people.

On Saturday, August 23, a dispute between a Gbenyiri resident and the chief’s son over a parcel of land triggered violent clashes.

The conflict escalated the following day, spreading to Kalba and other parts of the district, leaving scores injured and communities destabilised.

The latest killing comes despite the deployment of 400 police personnel to the conflict zone to restore peace.

Recently, the Inspector General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohunu, alongside senior officials from the Armed Forces, Prisons Service, and Immigration Service, visited Kalba, Sawla, and other affected communities to assess the situation.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed frustration over the security situation.

“With this killing, who do you think will trust the system again? Some of us suspected this to happen because the guys are still around in Kalba town, and if you deceive yourself and go there, they will just end your life like this farmer.

"To me, this reaffirms the fears and mistrust in the system. The authorities need to do more than just talk and go,” he said.

The latest death brings the official toll from the conflict to 32.