National Security Destroys Illegal Mining Pits In Obuasi

A Military cum National Security operation has led to the closure and destruction of several illegal mining pits in Obuasi in the Ashanti region on Wednesday March 20, 2013.

Secretary to the Small Scale Miners Association in Obuasi, Rufus Borry told XYZ News that soldiers stormed their pits on Wednesday with bulldozers and other heavy earth moving equipment and machines to seal off all their pits without warning.

He also claimed that two of their colleagues were shot in the leg as they demonstrated on the streets to protest what they described as the impromptu closure of their mines.

Scores of the miners have been up in arms against the security agencies over what the sealing off of their pits.

Rufus Borry told XYZ News that the Security Agencies had earlier made the local miners understand that the exercise will not affect indigenous miners but will target only illegal foreign miners, mostly the Chinese.

He therefore expressed surprise at the turn of events.

The decision by the Security Agencies to seal off the pits instantaneously incensed scores of the small scale miners who poured out on the streets to demonstrate against the move.

Their anger has stirred up tension in Obuasi which is known for a lot of gold mining activity.

XYZ News has learnt that the exercise formed part of the government's attempt to flush out illegal miners (Galamseyers) from Ghana.

The Director of Public Affairs at the Ghana Armed Forces, Col Atintande m'bawini told Obuasi-based Time FM on Wednesday that the exercise is a joint one between the National Security outfit and the Military.

He said as part of measures to ensure the illegal miners don't return after they had been flushed out, the joint exercise has adopted a strategy of staying of mounting surveillance in areas where they have crippled the illegal mining activities.

“The intention is not to kill people, it is just to stop the incidence of illegal mining”, he said but however warned that those who resist will be arrested.

Col M'bawini also noted that: “In some place where they carry offensive weapons, off course if you fire at us we'll fire back at you, there's no big deal about that”.