Investigate Human Rights Abuses In Mining C’nities — NCOM

The National Coalition on Mining (NCOM) on Wednesday called on the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate alleged human rights abuses in some mining communities.

Presenting a memorandum to the commission, Alhaji Abdulai Darimani, a member of the coalition, cited several instances of acts of violence by some mining companies which had resulted in severe human rights abuses such as injury, loss of property and even the death of innocent people.

Alhaji Darimani said the absence of a policy framework to guide mining operations had led to an imbalance between benefits accruing to mining companies and the affected communities.

He said very little had been achieved at the national level from mining, saying that mining operations had failed to translate into building the productive capacity and wealth of mining communities.

"The mining industry contributes only five per cent to GDP and about 12 per cent to government revenue.

The large-scale industry directly employs only 18,000 people and yet there is escalating environmental and social cost externalised by the industry," he said. "These conditions set the stage for dissent.

With loss of farm lands, clean environment, housing and fresh water, coupled with unsustainable alternative sources of livelihood, most communities on the fringes of mines logically protest, calling the attention of the state and the mining companies to their right to access to a minimum of decent existence," he added.

He said some state security agencies, especially the military, under the guise of enforcing law and order, deployed violent tactics which contributed to more brutalities, adding, "Ghanaians are entitled to question the legitimacy of the practice of deploying the military to offer protection to private companies."

Alhaji Darimani called on CHRAJ to investigate the possible abuse of office by regulators such as the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Awudu Mohammed, a native of Kumasi, in a witness account, narrated to the commission his ordeal at the hands of some security officials of AngloGold Ashanti last year, after his father's cocoa farm had been forcibly occupied for mining operations.

He said the situation compelled him to depend on galamsey operations for his livelihood, until his encounter with AngloGold security officials, who shot him at the back.

He said the most painful aspect of his story was that he was threatened not to reveal the truth, and because he did, the company had failed to offer any help to him for the past 10 months.

The acting Commissioner of CHRAJ, Ms Anna Bossman, said the commission hoped to organise a stakeholders' meeting with mining companies and the affected communities to discuss possible ways to address the problem.

She said the commission operated within the confines of justice and was ready to listen to both parties and come up with facts to reveal whether or not there had been any such violation.

Ms Bossman urged the coalition to present a petition with specific claims which would serve as a guideline for investigations.