Galamsey Archives - Wontumi Online

24 Mar

Shoot To Kill – Netizens Call For Stiffer Approach After Galamseyers Attacked Operatives Of Forestry Commission

CUD Wontumi0 CommentsNewsGalamsey

Illegal mining, widely referred to as galamsey, has resurfaced on social media, prompting strong protests from Ghanaian netizens against this ongoing issue. This reaction is on the back reports that some illegal miners in the Offin Shelterbelt forest reserve ambushed and attacked members of the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response team. A member of the team was reportedly brutally attacked with a machete by the galamseyers slashing his knee and leaving him in a life-threatening condition. The miners were also reported to be heavily armed, carrying assault rifles and machetes. The incident has sparked widespread outrage and concern on X (formerly…

24 Mar

Galamsey Fight: 71 Illegal Miners Arrested, 55 Excavators Seized

MAN Wontumi0 CommentsNewsGalamsey

The Forestry Commission has in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, arrested 71 illegal miners operating in forest reserves. The Commission has also seized some mining equipment, including 55 excavators, 3 bulldozers, 3 pick-up trucks, 4 pump-action rifles, 11 motorbikes, and other related materials. In a statement signed by the Acting Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Mr. Hugh C. A. Brown, said the illegal miners are currently facing criminal prosecution. The Commission also addressed concerns surrounding nine previously designated “no-go” areas where armed groups had hindered their operations. It refuted media reports that have questioned the…

14 Mar

Navy Arrests 56 ‘Galamseyers’ At Tarkwa-Nsuaem

CUD WontumiNewsGalamsey, navvy, tarkwa-nsuaem

The Western Naval Command, in a joint swoop with the Second Infantry Battalion, has arrested 56 illegal miners at Kadadwen in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality. The group consisting of 47 men and 9 women were handed over to the western Regional Police Command for further investigations. The crackdown extended to Mpohor, where the illegal miners fled, leaving their operating equipment’s on site upon the team’s arrival. The equipments retrieved include 25 changfang machines, excavators, with motorbikes burnt on site by the operation command. The operation, led by Brigadier General Musa Whajah, is in line with the President John Dramani Mahama’s campaign…

24 Feb

Journalist Attacked While Investigating Galamsey Activities

MAN WontumiNewsGalamsey, Journalist

Illegal mining has ravaged 261 acres of land in the Breman-Adomanya forest area of the Wassa Amenfi West District, Western Region. The damage, spearheaded by Chinese and Ghanaian galamsey operators, has destroyed timber trees, cocoa, and rubber crops while polluting the surrounding River Tano. Upon arriving at the scene to record the destruction, Akwasi Agyei Annim, the Western Regional Correspondent for Citi News, encountered animosity. The miners were warned by a security officer while Annim and his crew were recording. After rapidly organizing, the galamsey operators attacked the reporters and took their cameras, microphones, and Annim’s cell phone by force.…

23 Jan

The ‘Galamsey’ Menace: A Ticking Time Bomb

CUD WontumiBusinessGalamsey

The recent attack on AngloGold Ashanti's concession by armed illegal miners, resulting in the death of seven people is a stark reminder of the galamsey menace that has plagued Ghana's mining industry for years. This brazen attack was not an isolated incident. The company had repeatedly complained about the encroachment of illegal miners on its concession, who bore arms and threatened workers. It reminds us of a similar attack on February 8, 2016, which led to the death of the company’s Communications Director, John Owusu. The Obuasi mine, in particular, has been a hotbed of galamsey activity, with armed miners…

16 Oct

Galamsey: Parliament Will Review L.I. 2462 Once Formally Presented – Afenyo-Markin

wontumionlineNewsAfenyo Markin, Galamsey, L.I. 2462

Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin has clarified that Parliament has not yet received Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, officially titled the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations 2022, which is currently under consideration for revocation. There has been growing pressure for the repeal of L.I. 2462, with various groups, including Organised Labour, pushing for its removal to aid the national effort to combat environmental degradation caused by illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey. In a circular dated October 10, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, stated that the L.I. had been forwarded to Parliament for action and…

15 Oct

I Wish Deployment Of Military To Combat Galamsey Will Be Consistent – Cwesi Oteng

wontumionlineShowbizCwesi Oteng, Galamsey

Gospel musician Cwesi Oteng has suggested that measures put in place to help solve the galamsey situation should be intensified. He said in an interview on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z that he was surprised the illegal miners could carry out their activities without getting apprehended. “It’s like the system has closed its mind to the situation. Perhaps some of the wealthy [people ] that do these things also support government. I don’t know how the forces of the land have not taken action,” he told the host Kwame Dadzie. Cwesi intimated that even though the military has been deployed to some mining sites to help…

14 Oct

Nine Galamseyers Arrested, Over 50 Changfans Destroyed In Anti-Galamsey Raid

wontumionlineNewsGalamsey

Nine suspected illegal miners have been arrested, and 23 changfans destroyed along the Ankobra River at Prestea Nakaba in the Western Region by the government’s anti-galamsey task force, Operation Halt. The arrests were part of a larger operation involving over 100 soldiers deployed last week as part of the government’s renewed efforts to combat illegal mining, following increasing pressure from professional bodies and civil society organizations. Illegal mining, or galamsey, has been responsible for widespread environmental destruction, particularly along Ghana’s rivers. The task force’s operations have so far targeted illegal mining activities in key water bodies across the Eastern, Central,…

11 Oct

Dormaa Youth Arrest Over 10 ‘Galamseyers’

wontumionlineNewsDormaa, Galamsey

Youth in Dormaa Ahenkro have taken matters into their own hands by arresting more than 10 illegal miners (galamseyers) operating in the area. The action, carried out recently, is part of a community-driven effort to combat the destructive activity of illegal mining in the region. The move has received strong backing from Dormaahene Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Dr. Agyemang Badu, who has consistently spoken out against galamsey. He reaffirmed his stance, stating that illegal mining will not be tolerated in his jurisdiction, and vowed to support efforts to protect the environment and the livelihoods of the community. Those arrested have been handed…

10 Oct

Galamsey: Two Persons Shot During A Clash Between Chinese Nationals And Sekyere Krobo Youth

wontumionlineNewsGalamsey

Two individuals have sustained injuries after being shot during a violent clash between the youth of Sekyere Krobo and some Chinese nationals involved in illegal mining in the area. The two injured individuals sustained life-threatening injuries and are currently fighting for their lives at the Ahmadiyya Hospital in Daboase in the Wassa East District. According to a report by UTV, monitored by GhanaWeb on Thursday, October 10, 2024, the destruction caused by illegal miners on the river prompted the local youth to take action and halt their activities. The report indicates that upon reaching the site, the youth confronted the…