The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has made a passionate appeal to world leaders to end ongoing conflicts across the globe, especially in the Middle East, drawing attention to the silent suffering of millions of innocent people caught in war zones.

Speaking at the World-Meets-in-Ghana Executive Gala held at the Manhyia Palace on Friday, April 24, 2026, where he was honoured as a Pillar of Peace, the revered traditional leader urged global powers to look beyond politics and power, and focus on the human cost of war.

In a deeply reflective address, Otumfuo called on those “who carry the destiny of the world on their fingertips” to consider the plight of ordinary people, families, children, and communities who are forced to endure the consequences of conflicts they neither started nor understand.

“We convey to the powers who carry the destiny of the world on their fingertips to hear the cries of the millions who are the collateral victims of wars about which they have not the faintest idea,” he said.

“There is no single Ghanaian in a city, town or village, and no African anywhere who is not being impacted by the raging wars.”

His message struck a human chord, highlighting how images of bombed cities and fleeing civilians seen on television only tell a small part of a much larger, often unseen tragedy.

“Indeed, I submit that the heart-rending suffering we are seeing on the airwaves is only a tip of the iceberg. The true collateral damage to the innocent villages of the globe is yet to be measured,” he added.

With emotion and urgency, the Asantehene called on leaders in major conflict zones from Kyiv to Tehran, Tel Aviv to Beirut to choose dialogue over destruction and work toward peace.

“The innocent billions of the world who are the collateral victims are crying in silence and their cries of anguish, and the tears of despair can no more be ignored,” he said.

NA/AM