EXAMINING THE IMPEDING FACTORS AND EFFECTS OF CHIEFTAINCY CONFLICT IN FUNSI TRADITIONAL AREA IN THE UPPER WEST REGION OF GHANA

Abstract

The struggle to rule gave room to chieftaincy dispute for which the study examined the impeding factors and the effects of the Chieftaincy Conflict in Funsi Traditional Area in the Upper West Region of Ghana. Dahrendorf’s Conflict and Relative Deprivation theories anchored the study. Case study design was used. A sample of 45 was chosen using purposive and convenience sampling. Semi-structured interview schedules were used to collect the data. The data was analyzed using content and thematic analyses. Inadequate documentation on succession route, not complying with tradition, mistrust, poverty, politicization, and monarchical nature of the chieftaincy institution were the impeding causes to the installation of the paramount chief of the Funsi Traditional Area. Also, injuries and deaths, trauma, homelessness, damage to infrastructure, collapsed of social ties, and difficulty to access social services were the socio-cultural effects of the Conflict. Moreover, dwindling food production, price hike, low sales, difficulty in accessing transport to travel, soaring unemployment, loss of labour force, and upsurge in middlemen in business were the economic and political effects of the conflict. Furthermore, supernatural arbitration, sensitization and public campaign, use of legal system, dialogue and capacity building, and use of eminent personalities were the non-violent mechanisms whiles the use of security forces was a violent approach for resolving the conflict. To conclude, using the non-violent mechanisms, the feuding gates should be prevailed upon to cease fire to atone the social- cultural, economic and political effects of the conflict on the lives of inhabitants in the Funsi Traditional Area. The study recommended that the Wa East District Assembly, Upper West Regional House of Chiefs and the Ministry of Chieftaincy should synchronize and codify the customary laws with the constitutional and legal instruments on the succession route to the Funsi Chieftaincy Title.