Government kickstarted its new wave of campaign against the activities and operations of illegal mining (galamsey) in the country.
This was when it deployed some officers and men of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to some mining communities in the Atiwa East and West District Assemblies in the Eastern Region.
It comes a day after President Nana Akufo-Addo issued fresh marching orders for the military to commence phase two of Operation Halt, which is intended to help restore Ghana’s water bodies, farmlands and forest cover from the negative effects of mining activities.
It followed pressure from Organised Labour and various interest groups, including civil society organisations, for the government to act following the pollution of various water bodies and destruction of forest reserves in parts of the country by these illegal miners.
A statement from the Presidency issued on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 and signed by Director of Communications, Eugene Arhin said, “In a demonstration of Government’s commitment to tackling the issue, President Akufo-Addo, through the relevant sector ministers, invited the leadership of Organised Labour to a meeting held on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, at the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations.”
By 3am yesterday, a joint taskforce of Operation Halt Two led by Colonel Eric Tenadu, with the support of the taskforce team of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) visited some mining areas in the Eastern Region where the activities and operations of some of these miners are destroying the Birim River and forest reserves in the Atiwa Forest as well as farmlands.
Members of the taskforce visited places like Anyinam, Sekyere, Kwabeng, Accra Town, Muoso, Asamama and Donkrom where the Birim River had been polluted to an extent that it had become like a ‘creamy tea’.
Some miners, upon seeing the armed soldiers, dashed into the bushes and run away for fear of being arrested, leaving behind their mining equipment, including excavators, chanfans, water pumping machines, generators and others.
The team could not help than set ablaze over 18 chanfans, 10 water pumping machines, generators and others at various mining sites where their activities had affected water bodies, farmlands and forest reserves.
Speaking to journalists after the day’s rounds, Colonel Tenadu said, “This is just the beginning of an effort to help bring back the colour of our water bodies to its normal and original state.”
According to him, “we are going to all the water bodies…we are going to go to all the water bodies across the country until we see that all our rivers and water bodies are clean again.”
Before they leave any mining community, he said they would ensure that they will get a standby team to cover their back to sustain the effort.
The operation is expected to be bolstered by the deployment of naval boats on polluted river bodies to ensure the immediate cessation of all mining activities, legal or illegal, in and around these water bodies.
Instructions
President Akufo-Addo has also instructed the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, along with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to suspend the enforcement of the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2023 (L.I.2462), with immediate effect.
In a bid to enhance legal action against illegal mining activities, the statement indicated that “four (4) dedicated courts have already been established.”
The President has further directed the Attorney General to work with the Chief Justice to increase the number of courts handling cases related to illegal mining whiles urging Organised Labour to encourage all presidential candidates and their political parties to sign a pact, committing themselves to the fight against illegal mining as part of their election pledges.
It was in this regard that President Akufo-Addo asked Organised Labour to suspend its planned “strike action” on October 10, 2024, and collaborate with government and other stakeholders to ensure the effective combat of the galamsey menace.
Organised Labour has since called off the strike, with the President assuring them that he remains determined to end illegal mining, and called on all citizens, political leaders and stakeholders to unite in this critical national effort.
From Charles Takyi-Boadu, Anyinam, Eastern Region