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Eastern Region: Youth vandalize mining site; fingers NPP Chairman and DCE for being complicit

Some youth in the Asamang Tamfoe in Atiwa East District in Eastern Region were on rampage yesterday over mining activities in their area.

The vandalized container

According to them, the government’s community mining initiative is destroying their community.

They burnt two 40-feet containers at one of the mining sites in the area during the process.

The attack on the mining site was preceded by a public forum organized by the Concerned youth of Asamang Tamfoe which residents in the community resolved to kick against mining in the area to protect a few arable lands left for agricultural purposes.

The aggrieved youth accused their Chief Osabarima Kwame Koh and his elders, the DCE for Atiwa East Kwabena Panin Nkansah and the NPP Eastern Regional Chairman Kingston Okomeng Kissi for being behind the so-called Community mining ongoing on about 40 hectares of land.

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Ghana’s President Akufo Addo, on Wednesday, 25th July, 2019, launched the Community Mining Programme at Wassa Akropong, in the Western Region.

The Community Mining Programme was aimed at formalizing mining in selected communities across the country.

According to the incensed youth, the mining activities of the alleged community mining is polluting river bodies, degrading farmlands, depleting natural resources and exposing residents to the danger of being trapped dead in mining pits.

Yaw Owusu, a leader of the angry youth said “the company has no legitimate documents to mine. Also, there has not been any consultation with the Community on their operation rather operating under the cover of darkness”.

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He alleged that “some men wearing military uniforms employed by a miner known as Kwadwo Danso, used Honda vehicle with registration number GR 2613 – 20 marauding with the soldiers to terrorise residents amidst firing of gunshots at the site.”

“The mining operators do not have proper documents attached to their community Mining which has fuelled the youth to organize demonstrations yet the NPP regional chairman, DCE and the constituency chairman have not shown any concern. But the regional Chairman has put two, forty feet of container structure in the site supposed to use it as their office” .

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