A violent shootout between land guards and local youth in Coaltar, located in the Ayensuano District of the Eastern Region, has resulted in the death of one person and left several others in critical condition.
The incident, which took place on January 16, 2025, has left residents in shock, with eyewitnesses recounting the heightened tensions in the community prior to the violence.
According to 3news.com, the violence erupted just after a regular council meeting held by Coaltar Chief, Barimah Okekrebesi Asiedu. The meeting, which involved settling disputes and addressing community issues, concluded without incident. However, as members of the council were leaving the palace, they encountered a group of angry youth who were protesting a controversial land deal.
One of the elders present explained, “We had just finished the council meeting and were on our way out when we encountered the angry youth. We have told the farmers we are ready to compensate them for any lands taken for the developers, but they have refused to listen.”
The youth, armed with machetes and barricading a section of the road with tyres and wood, proceeded to vandalize the chief’s palace. Their protest was aimed at resisting the chief and the traditional council’s decision to offer agricultural lands to developers from Jamaica.
Despite an initial police intervention to disperse the crowd, the situation rapidly escalated into a violent shootout between land guards hired by the chief and the youth. The deadly confrontation left one person dead, and several others were critically injured, with the wounded receiving treatment at the Koforidua Central Hospital. The body of the deceased has been transferred to the Eastern Regional Police Command for further investigation.
This tragic event highlights the growing tensions surrounding land ownership in Coaltar and the wider Ayensuano District. Many in the region depend on subsistence farming, and disputes over land deals have become a source of significant unrest. The ongoing issues, including illegal sand mining and contested land ownership, have created an atmosphere of distrust, threatening the peaceful coexistence of the community.
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