Hell broke loose at Obuasi, one of Ghana’s major mining communities in the Ashanti Region, on Sunday, January 19, 2025, when personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces clashed with some youth in the area.
For hours, reports indicate the mining community was more like a war zone, with gunshots ringing throughout the community as personnel of the army battled with the youth, who are believed to be small-scale miners.
The incident reportedly occurred after a group of small-scale miners reportedly besieged the mines of AngloGold Ashanti.
Here are details of the incident so far as GhanaWeb has it:
Deaths and injuries:
Early reports on the incident indicated that the deadly clash resulted in the deaths of 8 people, all of them being small-scale miners.
However, the Ghana Armed Forces stated that only 7 people were killed in the clash. It indicated that all 7 people were illegal small-scale miners.
The army also indicated that one of its personnel was hit by pellets from a pump-action gun and had received some medical treatment.
Eyewitness account/Destruction:
An eyewitness told myjoyonline.com that the small-scale miners besieged AngloGold Ashanti mines at midnight fully armed and immediately opened fire, leaving scores dead and others injured.
According to the report, agitated members of the small-scale miners took to the streets, vandalising properties and burning tyres following the incident.
Four vehicles, including buses, have reportedly been torched, further heightening fears among residents.
Army’s account:
According to the Ghana Armed Forces, the persons who attacked the AngloGold Ashanti mines were illegal miners and not small-scale miners, who numbered about 60.
The statement further indicated that the 60 men breached the AngloGold Ashanti mines security fence and intruded the Cote D’or Ramp to enter the Deep Decline of the mines.
Following the breach, retaliation by officers on the ground resulted in shooting since the illegal miners were wielding various weapons.
“The military patrol deployed on Operation HALT II duties at the mentioned location were fired upon by the illegal miners when the soldiers tried to stop them from accessing the Deep Decline. The illegal miners were wielding locally manufactured rifles, pump-action guns, gas cylinders, knives, heavy-duty industrial bolt cutters, axes, and machetes,” part of the statement added.
However, the shootout became fatal as the soldiers resorted to self-defence.
Blame game:
Proponents of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are blaming the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the deadly clash.
They have claimed that remarks by the leading NDC members emboldened the attack on the mining firm.
The Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has said that the NDC is fully responsible for the clash because it was due to comments made by the party in the event leading to the 2024 general election.
“Rather bow your heads in shame. Your irresponsible election comments have brought us this lowest ebb! God should save this country, I am sick!” he wrote on X on January 19, 2025.
What the government has said:
President John Dramani Mahama, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, directed an investigation into the incident so that the persons found culpable for the incident would be held accountable.
“The government wishes to express deep regret over the tragic loss of up to eight (8) lives, said to be illegal miners, following a violent clash at a mining site at Obuasi.
“In response to the unfortunate incident, President John Dramani Mahama has ordered an immediate investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the clashes and ensure that any individuals found to have acted unlawfully are brought to justice,” part of the statement read.
The government also asked the management of AngloGold Ashanti to bear the medical expenses of the injured individuals fully and facilitate the burial arrangements of those who have lost their lives.
“The security agencies have also been tasked to take prompt action to restore peace in the area and implement measures to prevent similar occurrences,” it added.
Old video of Captain Smart:
Following the incident, a video of broadcaster, Blessed Godsbrain Smart, popularly known as Captain Smart, urging the youth of Obuasi to besiege AngloGold Ashanti, has gone viral.
In the said video, Captain Smart went on a rant against AngloGold Ashanti over what he described as the company’s denial of indigenes’ rights with the support of the military.
“I am telling the youth of Ghana in Obuasi to enter the hole (AGA site). When you get up, storm there. Everyone should go and look for what to eat when you are hungry. You must be mad. Storm the place. Listen, AGA, if you don’t take care, we will chase you out of this country, I swear.
“Because listen, you cannot dig a cyanide hole of about a hundred meters in South Africa. Can you dig three cyanide square holes measuring a hundred meters each in South Africa and get away with it? But for the daft leadership we have in this country, why won’t these things happen? That is what I want Nana Addo and the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources to understand: that AGA is destroying Obuasi, and the youth of Obuasi should rise,” he stated during a rant on his editorial captioned “Mining Effect: Military Terrorism, Maiming Farmers in Farmlands at Obuasi.”
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
