About 8,000 Ghanaians recently displaced by violent clashes in Gbiniyiri in the Savannah Region have returned home, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said.

He said the government of Ghana has, in the meantime, donated 6 million CFA to support thousands of Ghanaians who are still stranded in Côte d’Ivoire.

The conflict, which began as a land dispute in early September 2025, spread to 12 communities in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District.

Official figures as of September 8 showed that 31 people had been killed and about 48,000 displaced, with many fleeing across the borders into Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso.

Mr Ablakwa updated figures at the press briefing dubbed Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday, September 15, 2025.

He said his ministry had taken urgent steps to assist affected Ghanaians abroad.

“In response to the clashes in Gbiniyiri, I directed our embassies in Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso to work with their authorities to provide the necessary consular assistance to our compatriots. During my three-day working visit to Côte d’Ivoire from Friday, September 12, I held discussions with my Ivorian counterpart and visited the Bounkani region, where some 13,253 displaced Ghanaians initially sought refuge,” Mr Ablakwa said.

He added, “During my visit, I confirmed that about 8,000 Ghanaians have safely returned home. The latest census showed that the remaining number of Ghanaians in Côte d’Ivoire is 5,309, down from 13,253.”

Mr Ablakwa said he delivered a special message from President John Dramani Mahama appealing for peace and forgiveness, and encouraging displaced persons to return home since security had been reinforced and normalcy restored.

“On behalf of President Mahama, I donated 6 million CFA to cover urgent humanitarian needs and to support logistical arrangements for their safe return. This is separate from the food, water, blankets and medicines already provided through NADMO,” the minister stated.

He also disclosed that discussions with the Burkinabe Foreign Minister, Mr Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, confirmed that the number of Ghanaian refugees in Burkina Faso had reduced to 1,455 from an earlier figure of 2,500.

“My ministry remains committed to protecting the welfare of Ghanaian citizens abroad. No Ghanaian in distress anywhere in the world will be ignored by the Mahama administration,” Mr Ablakwa said.