The Small Scale Miners Association Taskforce has carried out a targeted operation in Mankranso and other illegal mining sites in the Ashanti Region, aimed at removing miners whose activities are devastating farmland and polluting rivers.
Upon hearing of the taskforce’s approach, the illegal miners, commonly referred to as galamseyers, quickly abandoned their operations near the Mankran River and fled the area before the team arrived.
The taskforce seized various mining equipment, including changfang machines and water pumps, and subsequently set the changfang ablaze.
The taskforce leader stated that such operations will persist across the country, vowing to crack down on galamseyers, many of whom he described as foreign nationals recklessly destroying water bodies without regard for consequences.
“We will fight to stop the illegal mining until our water bodies are clean, We are not going to relent. The issue of galamsey has become a political as we approach the December 7 general election.
“People are claiming the sitting government is destroying water bodies through galamsey, and government is also blaming small scale miners. Others politicians are also promising the illegal miners that they will be given opportunity to continue mining when they are elected into power. All these issues will not help us, that is why ahead of the elections, we the Taskforce of the Small Scale Miners Association has intensified our fight against galamsey to help the government and Ghana as a whole.
“If the operations of the Small Scale Miners Association taskforce is extended to protect our water bodies, there is no way these people can continue mining in our water bodies and polluting them. We can only fight them when we are empowered and supported by the government,” the leader of the Taskforce told the media after their operation at Mankraso.
He further expressed frustration, noting that despite their efforts to combat illegal miners, it is their own excavators, used for legitimate small-scale mining, that are often targeted and destroyed by the military and police taskforce during operations.
This, he added, is both unfortunate and disheartening, as it undermines their fight against the galamseyers.