Youth and miners in Obuoho, a community near Anum Apapam in the Ayensuano District of the Eastern Region, have taken to the streets to protest against the burning of four excavators by a Forestry Commission task force.
The incident has left many young people in the area jobless and without a means of survival.
According to Adu Gyamfi Douglas, the assembly member for the area, the Forestry Commission task force initially visited the site to determine whether the mining activities were within the buffer zone. After a cordial interaction, the task force left, only for the miners to discover a few hours later that their excavators had been set ablaze.
The burning of the excavators has not only suspended mining operations indefinitely but also affected the livelihoods of the miners and their dependents.
The miners have described the actions of the Forestry Commission task force as “wickedness” and are calling for a full investigation into the matter.
The National Concerned Association of Small-Scale Miners, Ghana (NCASMG) has also condemned the burning of the excavators, describing it as “illegal, ineffective, and harmful to both livelihoods and the national economy”.
By: Kofi Adjei | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
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