Interior Minister Discloses 571 Security Hotspots Nationwide, Warns Peace Must Not Be Taken for Granted

Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak says 47 hotspots are in the Western Region alone, as he credits a reduction in curfew communities from 11 to four and 173 days without gunshots in Bawku to sustained dialogue.

ACCRA, Nov. 11 — Ghana has 571 identified security hotspots across the country, including 47 in the Western Region, Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak has disclosed, warning that the relative peace the country enjoys could easily be lost if citizens fail to guard it jealously.

Speaking during a three-day working visit to the Western Region, the Minister cautioned Ghanaians against taking the country's stability for granted, pointing to the devastating consequences of insecurity in some neighbouring countries where governments have lost control of significant portions of their territories .

"In some neighbouring countries the government has lost 60 to 70 percent of its territories, while some 2.6 million people have been internally displaced," Mubarak said. "So, we need to learn lessons and commit ourselves to processes that will not make us go the way other countries have gone. If you look at these conflict-prone countries, hitherto they were peaceful but perhaps it was their inability to engender peace and co-existence that made them slip into chaos. So we don't have to take ours for granted" .

Curfews Reduced, Bawku Calm

Providing an update on the national security situation, the Minister said the number of communities under curfew had reduced from 11 in 2025 to four. He cited Bawku, which had recorded 173 days without gunshots, as evidence of progress, adding that restrictions on movement had been gradually eased with discussions far advanced toward reviewing the remaining measures .

"For five years no one could ride a motorbike in Bawku. Now people can ride from 6am to 6pm. Now, the curfew is from 10pm to 4am," he said. "We have pushed back, therefore there is no issue in Bawku, in Narelugu" .

He attributed these gains to sustained engagement with traditional authorities, religious leaders, security agencies and affected communities, emphasising that peacebuilding requires continuous dialogue and collective commitment. He urged religious leaders to use their influence to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence, warning that Ghana has nowhere else to turn should the country descend into widespread instability .

Western Region's Distinct Pressures

Earlier, the Minister paid a courtesy call on Western Regional Minister Joseph Nelson, acknowledging that although the region remains relatively peaceful, its natural resource endowment and extensive coastline present security challenges including chieftaincy disputes, illegal mining, maritime security threats and drug-related activities among sections of the youth .

He expressed confidence that engagements with security agencies, traditional authorities, religious bodies and municipal chief executives, along with a planned visit to the Elubo border, would strengthen existing interventions and enhance the region's security management .

Call for National Register of Chiefs

The Interior Minister subsequently paid a courtesy call on the President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs and Omanhene of the Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsiah V. The Omanhene proposed the establishment of a national register of chiefs to help address recurring chieftaincy disputes, and called for a collective approach to tackling illegal small-scale mining .

Nana Kobina Nketsiah V, a historian and academic by training, has previously served as chairman of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation .

Background

The 571 hotspot figure provides the most granular public accounting to date of the security challenges facing the Mahama administration, which has made retooling security agencies a priority. The government has begun delivering logistics and resources to regional commands, with further improvements planned .

The Western Region's 47 hotspots are concentrated around chieftaincy disputes and illegal mining, particularly in the Western North enclave where clashes between illegal miners and local authorities have turned deadly. In May 2026, a chief and his entourage were ambushed at a galamsey site in Sefwi Asawinso, leaving one dead and six critically injured .

Mubarak's three-day visit also included engagements with security agencies and municipal chief executives, and a visit to the Elubo border with Côte d'Ivoire to assess border management operations .

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The Interior Minister's working visit to the Western Region runs from November 8 to 10.