Small Scale Miners in the Western region have called on government to engage with and involve them in the deployment of the Operation Halt II as the country continues on its drive to flush out illegal miners and their logistics from water bodies and forest reserves.
According to them, it would be prudent for the leadership of the registered small scale miners to be abreast of the deployment schedule of the soldiers so that they can be assisted and directed to the sites where illegal mining is being perpetrated in order to avoid the burning of equipment belonging to regular miners.
Speaking at the launch of the Western Regional Chapter of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) at Wassa Akropong in the Wassa Amenfi East Municipality of the Western region yesterday 9th June, 2021, the Acting Regional Chairman, Nana Dr. Twum Barimah said “some security officials are using the clamp down for their personal gain”.
“We want government to at least let us know who exactly are in the operation and their deployment schedule; we would give the soldiers all the assistance that they need to identify and flush out the bad nuts. For now, some security officers who are not part of the operation are having a field day, tormenting even registered miners and extorting them of their monies”, he said.
The Western Regional Chapter which was launched yesterday promises to be the largest cohort of small scale miners in the country.
Nine persons were selected to steer the affairs of the association in the interim.
Some of the leaders include:
Nana Dr Twum Barima (Chairman)
Mr Kofi Tetteh (Organizer)
