Atronie community goes berserk, performs night rituals in worsened Amoma river to deal with illegal miners

The chiefs and people of Atronie in the Sunyani Municipality went berserk in the early hours of Monday, blocking the main road and leaving scores of passengers stranded for hours.

As at 0300 hours, the entire community members including children and women had gathered at Amoma River Bridge on the Sunyani-Atronie Road, to perform rituals and to pacify the river deity.

As a result of the activity, several vehicles using the stretch, including employees of the Newmont Ahafo South mine, were stranded for hours, unable to move across the bridge, until the visibly angry community members completed their rituals.

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) gathered from the chiefs that the destruction and worsened condition of the Amoma River by illegal mining activities, popularly known as 'galamsey' had attracted the displeasure of the river god in the area.

Clad in black and red attire with red headgears and armbands, the people chanted war songs, amid dancing, drumming and firing of traditional muskets.

Flanked by Diawusie Amponsem Darko II, the Chief of the Atronie and other sub-chiefs and queens, Okomfo Kwasi Nyantakyi, the Fetish Priest of the Atronie local shrine, slaughtered a ram and poured libation.

They invoked the intervention and anger of the river gods in fighting the illegal mining and its attendant consequences on the community.

The community members undertook a protest march on the main street of the town and held placards with inscriptions like “Mr President stop galamsey,” “MP why have you neglected us,” “Who is behind galamsey,” and “Stop destroying our farmlands.”

Others also read: “NDC is a National Destruction Congress,” “Our environment is being destroyed because of galamsey,” and “Mr Minister stop polluting our waters bodies.”

In an interview with the media, Okomfo Nyantakyi indicated that with the completion of the rituals, anybody engaged and linked to galamsay in the area would have themselves to be blamed.

He said that the Atronie river deity was not only deadly, but unmerciful and uncompromising too, warning that: “We aren't in any condition to reverse or pacify the gods when something happens to them.”

Diawusie Darko also added that it was unfortunate that the government remained adamant in the fight against illegal mining on the Atronie lands, despite their persistent appeals.

He said regrettably, besides the destruction of the Amoma River course and other streams in the area, the illegal miners had destroyed several farmlands, crops, the forest and vegetative covers in the area, depriving several farmers of their livelihoods.

The Chief said, “The only option we have now is to invoke the intervention of the river god because the government has failed to stem the menace at Atronie.”

Mr Richard Adu, the Assembly Member of the Atronie Electoral Area, indicated that the people had officially informed the Sunyani Municipal Assembly, that the situation now was getting out of hand, saying that the illegal miners had engaged fully armed private security personnel to protect their illegal mining sites.

Mr Adu called on the Bono Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to be expeditious in fighting the menace, worrying that illegal miners had presently gained roots in destroying crops and water bodies in the area.

GNA