Citation

Jönsson J. J. Int. Dev. 2009; 21(4): 507-519.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jid.1577

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In Ghana historical and modern legal and political circumstances have contributed to violent conflicts being structured around chiefs and tradition. Horizontal inequalities and local rivalries provide material for conflict narratives which in turn interact with national party politics, giving rise to the threat of inter and intra-ethnic violence being triggered by contentious events. By analysing the background to the series of inter-ethnic conflicts in the Northern Region which culminated in the 1994–1995 ‘Guinea Fowl War’ this paper examines how traditional and modern politics interact in Ghana and how they generate the categories and dynamics that fuel conflict. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.