Tarkwa: 35 Small Scale Miners Arrested After Bloody Clash

Some 35 Small Scale and community miners are in the grips of the Tarkwa Divisional Police Command after a clash over an underground mining concession left five persons injured.

The Tarkwa Divisional Police Commander, ACP Dennis Abade said the police in collaboration with the Municipal Security Council will meet the leadership of the miners today [Tuesday] to avert further clashes.

“So far we have arrested 35 suspects and they are under investigation. In the past, we tried talking to the two groups to keep the peace and warned that if there should be any problem, we are going to hold the leadership to task. We are meeting them today…We asked the court to warn them to be of good behaviour.”

Workers of two small scale mining companies in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality on Saturday clashed underground, leaving five miners injured.

The persons who sustained cutlass wounds with blood all over their bodies were sent to the Apinto government hospital and Tarkwa Municipal hospital for treatment.

The Divisional Crime officer in charge of Tarkwa Superintendent of Police Kusi Appiah confirmed the incident.

He said on Saturday around 11 am, the Tarkwa Divisional Police Command had a tip-off that there was a misunderstanding between some workers and Community mining companies who were both prospecting for gold in an old mining pit at Akoon, a suburb of Tarkwa.

Based on the information, Mr Kusi Appiah said he mobilized some police officers and men and they proceeded to the crime scene, but on arrival, they met some officers and men from the Operation Vanguard team on-site to maintain peace and order.

---citinewsroom