Small Scale miners in the country have vowed to resist intimidation from newly launched government security task force deployed to various regions to fight illegal mining blamed for massive destruction of land and river bodies.
The miners have returned to site in complete defiance of government’s ban on mining.
The inclusion of armed personnel is Step Three of government’s plan to flush out illegal miners after several months of warning them to stop.
The government has also banned mining in water bodies.
The Lands and Natural Resources minister John Peter Amewu first gave the miners a 3-week ultimatum to pack out.
He later toured sites in the Eastern and Western regions to find out the extent of the damage done by the illegal activities.
But with government’s security taskforce launched to fight galamsey in the Ashanti, Eastern and Western region, the miners say they will resist attempt by the taskforce to intimidate them from engaging in their mining which they say is legal under the law of Ghana.
Secretary of the Small Scale Miners Association, Micheal Kwadwo Peprah says they will cooperate with the taskforce if need be but will not kowtow to any intimidation to stop them from mining.
Listen to Mr Kwadwo Peprah
Meanwhile, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Prof Frimpong Boateng is warning aggrieved groups against attempts to stampede the work of the taskforce.
But Public Relations Officer of the anti-galamsey force, Major Gariba Paddy says they will be forced to defend themselves if confronted.
