By Yussif Ibrahim
Kumasi, Jan. 31, GNA –The National Coalition on Mining (NCOM), has called on the government to set up an enquiry commission to probe the killings of 12 citizens who allegedly trespassed the concessions of two gold mining companies.
The companies are the AngloGold Ashanti and Newmont Ghana Gold Limited at Obuasi and Ntotroso respectively.
NCOM said although it welcomed the President’s directive for investigation into the matter, it holds the firm view that establishing a commission of enquiry to probe the tragic incidents would unravel the truth behind the killings, bring perpetrators to book, and recommend appropriate compensations for the bereaved families.
“We call on the Ministries of Defence and Interior to oversee the immediate withdrawal of the military and police from all mining sites across the country,” a statement issued by the Coalition and copied to the Ghana News Agency also demanded.
Their presence in private mining concessions, according to the statement, had caused more harm than good and led to killings and community agitations.
The Coalition also demanded the Ministries of Defence and Interior to make a full public disclosure of the terms on which the security services have been deployed around the mines and the rules of engagement under which they operated and used their arms.
The government of Ghana must respect its commitments to international human rights protocols by ensuring that communities were protected from all forms of harm, including from state security agencies, the statement said.
“NCOM believes that every Ghanaian deserves to live in a safe and secure environment while going about their duties.
“The state has a responsibility to ensure that this is possible, and not only should the state be seen to be protecting corporate interests, but it must also ensure that its citizens are well protected from the state security agencies,” the statement emphasized.
It would be recalled that in the late hours of Saturday, January 18, soldiers guarding AngloGold Ashanti concession at Obuasi shot and killed nine suspected small-scale miners who allegedly breached portions of the company’s concession.
A week earlier (January 9, 2025), three young men were killed at the Ahafo concession of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited for allegedly trespassing and stealing.
According to the Coalition those tragic incidents, which have been widely condemned, were the latest in the increasing role of state security operatives in violence against citizens in mining communities.
“From Ntotroso, Ketu South, Talensi, Ada Songor through to Obuasi, there are harrowing tales of state security being used to brutalise communities on behalf of corporate interest resulting in deaths and the injuring of many,” the statement lamented.
It said it was very disturbing that in Ghana’s constitutional democracy, state security agencies have been turned into the default security for private mining firms, ready to use lethal force against fellow citizens who trespassed into the concessions of multinational mining companies.
Currently almost all of those mining companies in the country have the military on call, with some either hosting military bases or in the process of constructing one, the Coalition alleged.
This, it said, must not be encouraged and urged the government to take urgent steps to clamp down on the wanton abuse of citizens by mining firms with impunity.
GNA