Government’s ‘terrorist posture’ incurs the wrath of small scale miners
Some small scale miners in the country have taken a swipe at the government for its “terrorist posture” in the handling of the ban on illegal mining.
Government last year banned small scale mining as part of measures to taking to stop illegal mining, popularly referred to as; ‘galamsey’, which was fast degrading the country’s water bodies and green vegetation.
Though there have in the last few months been assurances by government to lift the ban to allow persons with legitimate licences to resume their small scale mining operations, that is yet to materialize.
A group of the miners under the banner Concerned Small Scale Miners Union of Ghana (CSSMUG) say government’s 18 month ban has been nothing but a carefree and crude posture to further its cruel agenda against small scale miners and persons it deems as its political opponents.
“We, the Concerned Small Scale Miners Union of Ghana wish to call the attention of the international community and all well-meaning peoples of the world to the terrorist posture adopted by the Government of Ghana in its supposed fight against illegal mining,” the group stated in a press release dated November, 6, 2018.
The concerned miners also accused government of instituting the Operation Vanguard and the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining “that have become tools of bribery, corruption and torture on innocent Ghanaians.”
The miners claimed although they earlier welcomed the move by government to clamp down on illegal mining through the ban, the ban is now being used by government as a weapon against miners, hence, their disagreement with government.
The concerned miners also alleged that some Americans, who have been commissioned by government, were mining along the Offin River at Amaadaa in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti region.
“At Bekwai and some areas of Manso, government apparatchiks are shamelessly mining for gold in broad day light, shielded by state security while licensed miners live in the anguish of poverty, indebtedness and broken homes,” the claimed.
The miners also lamented over being unable to cater for families, pay the school fees of their wards amongst other things due to the ban.
“We have lost trust in this government and therefore call on all well meaning people to join us in drumming home our frustrations till it realizes the potential repercussions of the terrorist path on which it is treading,” the miners stated in the release signed by its president, Michael Kwadwo Peprah.
Source: 3news.com
