VZCZCXRO7941
RR RUEHPA
DE RUEHAR #1072/01 1290724
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 090724Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1230
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 001072 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM GH
SUBJECT:  Ghana's Dagbon Conflict Moving Toward Peace 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Four years after his murder, the late 
king of the Dagbon traditional area in northeastern Ghana, 
Ya Na Yakubu Andani II, was buried in Yendi on April 10. 
This brought to an end a prolonged stalemate between the 
Andani "gate" (line of succession) and its rival Abudus over 
the ceremonial requirements for the funeral.  On April 21, a 
regent was installed. Both the burial and installation were 
largely peaceful.  President Kufuor visited Yendi on May 7 
to support this major step toward ending Ghana's worst 
internal conflict.  Nonetheless, there remain unresolved 
issues in this conflict-prone region, including selection of 
a new Ya-Na, which could renew tensions in the future.  End 
Summary. 
 
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Background 
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¶2.  (U) On March 27, 2002, the 28-year reign of Ya-Na Yakubu 
Andani II, King of the Dagbon traditional area in Northern 
Region, ended when he and 40 others were murdered in his 
palace in the town of Yendi.  The Ya-Na's body was 
dismembered and has been stored in a local morgue for the 
past four years.  Between 2002 and 2004, the Northern 
Regional government imposed a State of Emergency in Yendi. 
Since the Ya-Na's death, the Andani and Abudu "gates" (lines 
of inheritence) within the Dagbon tribe could not agree on a 
succession.  While the government has been investigating the 
murder, to date the culprits have not been identified, 
causing many observers to believe the GOG was in some way 
complicit.  The Abudu-Andani succession conflict has been 
Ghana's most significant indigenous conflict, occasionally 
erupting into violence. 
 
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Ya-Na Buried, Regent Installed 
------------------------------ 
 
¶3.  (U) After four years of negotiation, a committee of 
eminent chiefs led by the Ashanti King (Asantehene) agreed 
in April to appoint the Ya-Na's oldest son, Kamakuya Naa 
Abudali Yakubu Andani, as Regent.  This decision paved the 
way for the burial of the Ya-Na's remains on April 10 at the 
royal mausoleum inside Gbewah Palace in Yendi. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) On April 21, the Regent was "enskinned" (a 
traditional installation) at a ceremony presided over by the 
Northern Regional Minister, and the Ministers of Interior 
and Agriculture.  The new Andani Regent appealed to the 
people of Dagbon to leave the past behind and build a 
united, peaceful future.  Both the enskinment and the burial 
were peaceful, thanks in large measure to a massive police 
and military presence. 
 
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President Supports Peace 
------------------------ 
 
¶5.  (U)  In addition to intervention from key traditional 
leaders, the GOG has supported the peace process.  On May 7, 
President Kufuor, accompanied by the Vice President, visited 
Yendi for the first time since the Ya-Na's death.  He paid 
tribute to the late Ya-Na and congratulated the Regent, 
stating "we cannot talk about total peace in the country if 
there is no peace in Dagbon."  In late April, Vice President 
Aliu had traveled to his village in Dagbon for the first 
time in four years, paying a call on the new Regent. 
 
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Comment 
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¶6.  (SBU) The successful burial of the Ya-Na and enskinnment 
of a Regent is a significant step in resolving Ghana's most 
contentious and long festering internal dispute.  Top 
political leaders and the NPP are eager to gain political 
mileage out of peace in Dagbon.  Nonetheless, there remains 
significant tension in this conflict-prone region.  One 
contact who attended the installation of the Regent remarked 
on the visible animosity between Abudus and Andanis at the 
event, even though there was no violence.  The GOG 
reportedly helped the peace process by paying money to the 
local Abudu and Andani leaders, which may not portend well 
for sustainable stability.  In addition, the GOG has still 
not identified the murderer of the Ya-Na and his entourage, 
a sore point that the new Regent has repeatedly made in 
public statements. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Perhaps most significantly, a decision has not yet 
been made about who will be the next Ya-Na.  The long- 
delayed funeral of the Abudu Ya-Na who died in the 1980s is 
expected to take place in May.  After this funeral, his son 
 
ACCRA 00001072  002 OF 002 
 
 
will become the official Abudu Regent.  The Abudus and 
Andanis will then have to sort out which of the two Regents 
(or possibly another contender within the Abudu gate) will 
become the next Ya-Na, a possibly contentious process which 
may drag out for years. 
 
LANIER