Talensi Mining Communities’ Initiative demands justice for families of 16 dead miners

Talensi Mining Communities’ Initiative (TAMCI), a Civil Society Organisation operating in the Talensi District in the Upper East Region, with the support from Savannah Research and Advocacy Network (SRAN) are demanding the compensation for families of the 16 young men who lost their lives as a result of alleged negligence caused by the Shaanxi Mining Ghana Limited now EARL International Group (Ghana) Gold Limited.

Members of Talensi Mining Communities’ Initiative (TAMCI)

Speaking at a news conference, the TAMCI Secretary Mr. Laamdolba Bright says: “We are very worried as we discuss with you today that the deaths of our 16 brothers were caused by Shaanxi and the minerals commission investigative report on the incident, proves our point that Shaanxi laced explosives with a lethal chemical called chlorine to kill the 16 young men intentionally.”

TAMCI Secretary Mr. Laamdolba Bright
He noted that Kwesi Bantama has since not also compensated the families of the 16 who were killed by Shaanxi while working for him in 2019.

Meanwhile, the group has hinted that Shaanxi/Earl International’s continuous posturing that the 16 young men who lost their lives in 2019 were illegal miners, is infuriating the community and has the tendency to ignite an uprising.

Read the full statement below:
PRESS CONFERENCE BY TALENSI MINING COMMUNITIES’ INITIATIVE (TAMCI)

8TH DECEMBER, 2022.
WE SHALL OVERCOME! VENCEREMOS
INTRODUCTION
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the media, members of civil society organizations present and all interested parties, we wish to welcome all of you to this very important press conference.

We are very grateful to you for keeping faith with us from day one to date. It’s been a journey of lessons and reflections. We set out to fight for the development of our community. As the saying goes, the enemy is always within.

We have been called names, dragged to court, physically assaulted, betrayed and remanded in police custody all in a vicious and desperate attempt to silence the only voice that thunders hope and advocates for development in Talensi. But the good Lord continues to hold our right hand so we will remain resolute in our convictions, steadfast in our forward match and bold in our approach.

THE GENESIS
We wish to bring to your attention that gold mining in Talenteng― particularly by Shaanxi now known as Earl International Group, Cardinal and their partners ― has brought us hell. It saddens our hearts that in Talensi, these mining companies fail to comply with relevant laws and regulations of the Mining & Minerals Act 2006 (Act 703) on compensation, resettlement, safety, local content etc. to the disadvantage of the citizens whose gold is being stollen to enrich foreign lands. It also saddens us to note that Earl International and Cardinal Resources do not respect and adhere to the laws of this country because they have help from local traditional and political authorities.

The reckless mining practices introduced by Shaanxi in our area have caused many tragedies which have claimed many lives. One such tragedy was when we lost 16 young and energetic men through one of their planned executions and recklessness.

Earl International also recruits supervisors who are Chinese and who cannot communicate to any team in operation in the language members of the teams understand, which is a breach of Regulation 508 of LI 2182. This deadly lapse was revealed in a Minerals Commission report as one of the reasons the 16 young men died in 2019 in Talensi.

We are sure that as you take a keen interest in listening to us, you will be shocked as we reveal the development of our predicament to you.

THE BLOOD OF THE 16 WHO WERE MURDERED IN EARL INTERNATIONAL MINE IN 2019 IS CRYING FOR JUSTICE – TALENSI LIVES MATTER

Shaanxi/Earl International’s continuous posturing that the sixteen young men they murdered in 2019 were illegal miners, is infuriating the community and has the tendency to ignite an uprising.

We are very worried as we discuss with you today that the deaths of our 16 brothers were caused by Shaanxi and the minerals commission investigative report on the incident, proves our point that Shaanxi laced explosives with a lethal chemical called chlorine to kill the 16 young men intentionally.

Also, the allegation that the young men were killed in a Shaanxi mine was deliberately concocted to brand them as thieves and hence deny their families any compensation due them.

Kwesi Bantama has since not also compensated the families of the 16 who were killed by Shaanxi while working for him in 2019. In just a short while, we will rise on him too. Justice must be served and we will ensure it.

We hope the elite and the traditional authorities will work for the benefit of their constituents. After all they are there to protect and represent the people.

At this point, we want to observe a minute silence for Miner Paul Agbango who died through electrocution at the Earl International Group mine in Talensi some days ago.

LANDS & NATURAL RESOURCE MINISTRY, EPA AND MINERALS COMMISSION, THE SOURCE OF THE WOES OF GOLD MINING IN TALENSI.

The Minerals Commission in the Upper East Region is not doing enough as far as their mandate to supervise and ensure that large scale mining companies adheres to the rules and regulations of Ghana as far as license acquisition, mining boundary dispute resolution, safety and precautionary measures among others are concerned.

Some of the licences issued by the the Land & Natural Resource Ministry are also stained with irregularities. When the minerals commission recommended the issuance of the Earl International Gold Group large scale licence in 2019, Yenyeya, Unique and Pubortaaba and co mining licences were all active and are still active.

Earlier that year Shaanxi through its recklessness and planned execution of the cream of our society (our youth) had killed sixteen young men and left their families destitute and hopeless but the Minerals Commission did not care.

The environmental protection agency also granted EPA permit to Earl international group when Yenyeya, Unique, Pubortaaba and co. permits were still active.

In 2019, when the minerals commission investigated Shaanxi for killing 16 young men in their mine at Gbane, they found them culpable and charged them forty thousand US Dollars $40,000.00 but failed to recommend even a pesewa to the bereaved families.

All the forty thousand (USD40,000.00) went into the state’s coffers while the bereaved families continue to suffer in poverty and in pain for the loss of their breadwinners.

We call on the Talensi MP to rally his colleagues from the region to get the Parliament of Ghana to probe the process by which the Earl International Group was given licence and EPA permit and why the state institutions that are set up and funded by the poor taxpayer are unable to compel mining companies in Talensi, i.e Earl International, Cardinal Resources, Bantama etc to do the right thing.

MORAL BANKRUPTCY & GREED OF OUR DUTY BEARERS

An emphasis on why we insist that Shaanxi, now known as Earl International, is an illegal and fraudulent entity is that compensation has not been paid to all concessionaires on the about 16km² parcel of land, they have not also resettled those whose livelihoods will be affected by their large-scale mining operations. Yet the company claims it spent one million dollars ($1 million) conducting compensation exercise for some small-scale concessionaires.

Earl International, in their quest to intimidate concessionaires and short change the community, decided to use the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) to negotiate and to pay compensation to the concessionaires.

We are reliably informed that funds for the compensation exercise were lodged in one of the RCC accounts for onward disbursement to the concessionaires and that this was organized in a take-or-leave manner under the supervision of the Regional Minister.

It is unacceptable that the RCC takes direct responsibility from a private large-scale mining company, Earl International, by paying compensation on its behalf. This raises serious concerns about conflict of interest. The RCC represents the State; so, being in charge of Earl International’s disbursement of cash compensation is alarming.

As we speak now some aggrieved members of the Unique Mining Company has petitioned the Economic and Organized Crime Office – EOCO about how USD 150,000.00 meant to compensate them for trespasses by Shaanxi (Earl International) into their concession were fraudulently paid to Robert Boazor Tampoar by the Regional Minister.

The questions that beg asking is why the regional minister will pay such money to Robert Boazor knowing that it was meant for the group?

RECOMMENDATIONS
We recommend that:
Parliament of Ghana should investigate the issuance of the licence to Earl International Group amidst all licence fields;

The 16 young men who were murdered in 2019 should be integrated into the Bantama concession as stakeholders.

All concessionaires who have portions of land where Earl International has acquired for its large-scale mining operations should be given up to 7% royalty.

Earl International should desist from illegally mining on unauthorised places or concessions.

The Ghana Immigration Service should look into the legal statuses of all Chinese workers at Shaanxi/Earl International mine at Gban.

A resettlement/compensation committee should be setup to begin negotiation process of resettling the occupants at Obuasi site to pave way for the company’s operations.

If what the aggrieved members are alleging is true, we strongly encourage the regional minister to take steps to prevent another Rockson scandal.

In conclusion, it is our collective and strong believe that if state institutions operated with a patriotic and state first mentality, Ghana will not be in her current economic situation.

The Convener
……………………………

Samuel Bugre Sapak