The Gonjaland Youth Association (GLYA) has strongly condemned remarks made by former Government Spokesperson on Governance and Security, Dr. Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, describing them as misleading, inflammatory, and unfair to the Gonja people.

Addressing a press briefing in Accra on Tuesday, GLYA leaders expressed outrage at Dr. Boakye-Danquah’s call for a “total state of emergency in the entire Savannah Region” and his claim that “it is the Gonja guys that are doing this… they have rifles, they have ammunition” during a live television panel discussion on Channel One TV.

According to the Association, the comments were irresponsible and ethnically divisive, with the potential to incite tensions and undermine peace efforts in the conflict-hit Gbiniyiri community of the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District.

GLYA National President, Al-Hassan Baba Darison, insisted that the Gbiniyiri clashes originated from a dispute between two individuals in the Brifo-Lobi community, which was being handled by the local chief.

He alleged that the situation escalated only after a violent attack on the Gbiniyiri Chief’s palace that left three unarmed Gonja youth dead, including the son of the Kalbawura.

Providing historical context, Mr. Darison said the Brifo-Lobi community had originally been granted refuge in Gonjaland in 1925 by then King and Overlord, Yagbonwura Mahama Dagbonga, after fleeing persecution in Côte d’Ivoire.

He emphasised that Gonjas had remained peaceful despite breaches of settlement agreements over the years.

“For Dr. Boakye-Danquah to now suggest that Gonjas are armed aggressors is not only hurtful and false, but a gross distortion of historical facts,” the statement read.

GLYA has issued three key demands:

Evidence — Dr. Boakye-Danquah must provide verifiable proof of his claims.

Justification — He must explain why he called for a blanket state of emergency across the Savannah Region.

Retraction and Apology — If no evidence is provided, he must publicly withdraw his remarks and apologise to the people of Gonjaland.

The Association urged public figures to exercise restraint in their commentary on conflicts, warning that reckless rhetoric could derail peace efforts.

“The Gonja people are peaceful, but let no one mistake our nature for weakness.

We will always rise lawfully and resolutely to defend our dignity and ancestral lands,” Mr. Darison declared.

GLYA reaffirmed its commitment to peacebuilding and called for dialogue, fairness, and mutual respect as the only path to resolving the Gbiniyiri conflict.