Unable to run or hide: Nkwanta conflict leaves over 1,500 PWDs facing ‘untold hardship’

As deadly ethnic conflict continues to destabilise the Nkwanta South Municipality, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) are emerging as the most vulnerable victims, unable to flee the persistent insecurity and violence.

The Ghana Federation of Disability (GFD) in Nkwanta South has issued a desperate plea for a definitive ceasefire, warning that the ongoing crisis has inflicted “untold hardship” on a population already facing significant mobility and socio-economic challenges.

Adom News Correspondent Obrempongba K. Owusu reported on Thursday, October 9, that the advocacy was highlighted during an event where the Nkwanta South Municipal Assembly provided crucial support, distributing start-up kits—including fufu pounding machines, refrigerators, and direct cash support—to over 100 PWDs whose livelihoods have been shattered by the fighting.

Displaced and Trapped: The PWDs’ Double Burden

The GFD estimates that the conflict is directly impacting over 1,500 registered PWDs in the municipality, who cannot easily evacuate their homes or seek refuge in safer zones.

Their immobility renders the standard advice to “flee to safety” impossible, making them hyper-vulnerable to stray bullets, property damage, and food shortages.

Evans Boanya, the President of the Ghana Federation of Disability in Nkwanta South, emphasized the immediate danger the conflict presents to this highly susceptible group.

“The conflict has caused untold hardship for persons with disabilities in the municipality,” he noted, pointing out the disproportionate economic loss: “many individuals with disabilities who run businesses and participate in other activities have lost everything due to the conflict.”

He noted that the conflict has caused untold hardship for persons with disabilities in the municipality.

The president highlighted that many individuals with disabilities who run businesses and participate in other activities have lost everything due to the conflict.

He also urged the government and security agencies to reconsider the curfew hours imposed in the municipality to help restore normalcy.

Adom News spoke to several members of the federation, who echoed their challenges related to the ongoing conflict.

They called on authorities to take immediate steps to resolve the situation, which would allow businesses and other activities to thrive once more.

Conflict Halts Development and Economic Progress

The call for peace from the PWD community is amplified by the sheer scale of developmental opportunity lost to the instability.

Oti Regional Minister, John Kwadwo Gyapong, confirmed the heavy price the region is paying, noting that the entire Oti Region’s development is contingent upon the stability of Nkwanta.

The Minister revealed that the violence has directly caused the loss of at least two crucial developmental projects earmarked for the area: a cassava processing factory intended to boost local agriculture and a technical university meant to transform regional education.

These projects collectively represent an estimated investment of GH₵50 million that would have created hundreds of jobs.

Curfew Review Demanded

To ease the daily burdens on citizens and facilitate the limited commerce that remains, Mr. Boanya also called on security agencies to reconsider the terms of the current curfew imposed on the municipality.

A female member of the federation echoed the urgency of lifting restrictions.

“If the system is down, they have to do something about it. It is not everyone who can afford healthcare without insurance cover.”

The Minister indicated that he is receptive to the community’s needs, encouraging citizens “to accept peace and to consider a potential review of the curfew.”

The federation members, now facing the dual challenge of physical vulnerability and economic destruction, collectively urged authorities to take “immediate steps to resolve the situation, which would allow businesses and other activities to thrive once more.”

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