'Galamsey Youth’ Plots Violent Takeover Of Edikan Mine

Renegade illegal miners operating in the Ayanfuri area in the lower Denykyira district, have sworn to take over the Edikan mine by any means.

They called themselves as the youth association and they are currently working on the concession illegally on the Perseus property, the small scale miners are demanding portion of the concession called “Heap Leach Area”.

Though the ‘Area’ belongs to Perseus Mining, the illegal miners, always armed to defend their turf says we are no prepared for any dialogue. “We want the Heap Leach Area to enable us set up our own mines”, Kwaku Moses, 50 year gold dealer, who also doubles as a digger said in an interview at Ayanfuri last weekend. Abdullah Singapore, also an illegal miner, a resident at Dunkwa traced the indiscipline among the illegal miners, numbering about 500, to the area e relaxed attitude of the police and the district security council.

“They don’t care about the horrors being unleashed by the illegal miners, neither are they concerned with the environmental degradation going on in the area. The worse aspect of these illegal activities is that overwhelming majority of these miners are not from this area”. God should save us”. Kofi Dufoe, a retired school teacher said.

A visit to the sites being worked by illicitly miners confirmed the genuine fears of the law- abiding citizens of Ayanfuri, where he only gold mine in Central Region is located – destruction of forest, contamination of water bodies with whitish substance believed to be mercury, destruction of farmlands, just to mention a few.

“They have contaminated water bodies here with deadly chemicals, poisonous to the extent that they are the main sources of drinking water by majority of the culprits the people. All this are taking place under the eyes and noises of the policians and security agencies but no action is being taken to stop this illegal miners. been taken against them.

“The illegal miners have been undermining Perseus and the people in the communities”, Edwin Allotey Acquaye,, who is responsible for Corporate Affairs of Perseus explained the way illegal miners were using force and violence to pick and choose where they want to work.

In the words of the General Manager, the activities of the illegal miners have impacted negatively on the concession, the communities, environment and the livelihoods of the people . This he said could affect gold production.

Calling on stakeholders in and around Ayanfuri to help grow the mine for their mutual development, Mr. Allotey called on the people in the communities to take advantage of the company’s open door policy for meaningful engagement and dialogue to ensure a win win situation for all.

He was happy with support accorded the company by the stakeholders.