Man shot dead in Kalba Amid Gbenyiri conflict
The assailants reportedly emerged from the bush and opened fire, striking the man while he was on his motorcycle. He died instantly. Police later conveyed his body to St. Anne’s Catholic Hospital in Damongo.
Unidentified gunmen have killed a middle-aged man near Kalba in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region.
Police said the victim, whose name has not been released, had travelled from Uro, his community without electricity, to charge his phone in Kalba.
The assailants reportedly emerged from the bush and opened fire, striking the man while he was on his motorcycle. He died instantly. Police later conveyed his body to St. Anne’s Catholic Hospital in Damongo.
Authorities believe the attack is tied to the long-running Gbenyiri conflict, which has already claimed dozens of lives, destroyed property, and forced more than 50,000 residents from their homes.
The unrest began on August 23 after a dispute over land between a Gbenyiri resident and a chief’s son escalated, spreading violence to Kalba and other parts of the district the following day.
The shooting occurred despite the presence of 400 police officers deployed to restore calm in the area. Recently, Inspector General of Police Christian Tetteh Yohunu, together with senior officers from the Armed Forces, Prisons Service, and Immigration Service, toured Kalba, Sawla, and other hotspots to assess the crisis.
One resident, who requested anonymity, expressed frustration at the 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.
Police figures indicate that this latest incident has increased the official death toll from the conflict to 32.
