A boat carrying civilians fleeing renewed communal violence in northern Ghana capsized this week on the White Volta River, leaving an undetermined number of people dead or missing, according to local authorities.
The victims were attempting to cross into neighboring Côte d’Ivoire from the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District in the Savannah Region, where fresh clashes erupted around the community of Gbenyiri. The boat overturned near the Dinie-Tuonbo area, a remote border enclave, while transporting displaced residents across the swollen river.
Six passengers were rescued by local authorities and a National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) team, which has since launched a search-and-rescue operation. The number of missing remains unclear.
“The priority now is to save lives and retrieve those still missing,” said Mahama Zakaria, the Savannah Regional Director of NADMO. He warned that the death toll could rise, with hundreds of others stranded at Dinie awaiting evacuation.
Boat accidents are a recurring tragedy on the White Volta, Ghana’s second-longest river. Poorly maintained vessels, overcrowding, and a lack of safety equipment, such as life jackets, have contributed to multiple fatal incidents over the years.
The clashes in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District are part of a wider pattern of intermittent communal violence that has displaced thousands in Ghana’s northern border regions. Officials have not provided details on what sparked the latest conflict.
Ghanaian authorities have yet to confirm how many people were aboard the ill-fated vessel. Rescue efforts are ongoing.
