Man travelling to charge phone killed near Kalba over Gbenyiri conflict

A middle-aged man has been shot and killed by unknown assailants near Kalba in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region.

Police sources confirmed that the victim, whose identity has been withheld, had travelled from his home in Uro, a community without electricity, to Kalba to charge his mobile phone.

He was attacked on his way back by armed men who emerged from the bush and shot him off his motorcycle. He died instantly.

The body has since been deposited at the St. Anne’s Catholic Hospital in Damongo.

Local leaders believe the incident is connected to the ongoing Gbenyiri conflict, which has already displaced over 50,000 people, destroyed property, and claimed dozens of lives.

The recent wave of violence was triggered on August 23 after a dispute between a Gbenyiri resident and the chief’s son over a piece of land. That clash quickly escalated and spread to Kalba and other communities, leaving scores injured.

Despite the deployment of 400 police officers to the conflict zone, residents say the killings have continued. Last week, Inspector General of Police Christian Tetteh Yohunu, together with officials from the Armed Forces, Prisons Service, and Immigration Service, visited Kalba, Sawla, and other affected towns to assess the security situation.

But residents remain frustrated. One man, who wished to remain anonymous, said the latest killing has deepened mistrust in the system.

“With this killing, who do you think will trust the system again? Some of us saw this coming because the guys are still moving around freely in Kalba. If you go there, they can just take your life like they did to this farmer,” he said.

The death brings the official toll from the conflict to 32.