The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources has given a stern alert to unidentified individuals and organisations posing as security personnel deployed to assist the government’s anti-galamsey efforts.
He stated that they have been dissolved and must cease operations immediately.
In a statement addressing the issue, the minister said that the government’s ongoing security campaign to combat illegal small-scale mining, dubbed “Operation Halt,” is being led by President Akufo-Addo and supervised by the Ministry of National Security, and that other groups claiming to be part of the operation must refrain from making such statements.
“It has come to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources’ notice that some illegal “Task Forces” and/or security operatives have used the current Operation Halt to target small scale miners around the country… Any such illegal Task Forces and/or parallel Security Outfits should stop and be dissolved immediately,” said the statement.
Earlier this week, police in the Eastern Region arrested 19 people who pretended to be national security operatives for illegally mining gold in the Atewa forest reserve.
According to the Kade District manager of the Forestry Commission, the perpetrators, some of whom were dressed in military and police uniforms, raided the reserve in Akyem-Akateng at dawn on Tuesday onboard a Toyota Land Cruiser V8, armed with sophisticated weapons, under the pretext of cracking down on illegal miners.
According to some experts, this trend must be reversed in order to prevent jeopardizing the government’s battle against illegal mining.
Mr. Abu Jinapor said that he is “unwaveringly committed to achieving the national policy on small scale mining, which is to protect our water sources, forest reserves, and sanitize the sector.”
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Read the full statement here:
MINISTRY OF LANDS AND NATURAL RESOURCES
PRESS RELEASE
UNAUTHORIZED “TASK FORCES”, PARALLEL “SECURITY OUTFITS” TO CEASE THEIR OPERATIONS
I refer to the ongoing security operation, dubbed “Operation Halt”, mounted by the Ghana Armed Forces to preserve the “Red Zones”, i.e our Waterbodies and Forest Reserves. The operation is being conducted under the express instruction of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and is being overseen by the Ministry of National Security.
It has come to the attention of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources that certain unauthorized “Task Forces” and/or security operatives have taken advantage of the ongoing Operation Halt to harass small scale miners across the country.
For the avoidance of doubt, Government is not against lawful, regulated and sustainable small-scale mining. ‘Operation Halt’ relates exclusively to the purging of our waterbodies and forest reserves of illegal small-scale mining. There continue to be measures to deal with other forms of illegalities in the mining sector such as enhanced regulation, reformation of permitting regime, community mining and other enforcement mechanisms which the Ministry is pursuing.
The operations of all such unauthorized Task Forces and/or parallel Security Outfits should cease and be disbanded with immediate effect.
The Ministry reiterates its unwavering commitment to realize the national policy on small scale mining, which is to preserve our waterbodies, forest reserves, and sanitize the sector.
END
SIGNED
SAMUEL A. JINAPOR, MP.
MINISTER FOR LANDS AND NATURAL RESOURCES
