Mahama deploys soldiers to protect 9 forest reserves from illegal miners

Josephine Amuzu 11:49 - 18 October 2026

President John Dramani Mahama announces soldiers will remain in nine forest reserves to prevent illegal galamsey miners from returning in Ghana.

President John Dramani Mahama says soldiers will remain in nine forest reserves cleared of galamsey to prevent illegal miners from returning.
GoldBod, the military and the Forestry Commission are expected to collaborate on reclaiming degraded forest areas and replanting trees.
The President says GH¢400 million has been allocated in the 2027 Budget to recruit additional Blue Water Guards to protect water bodies.

President John Dramani Mahama has announced that soldiers will remain stationed in nine forest reserves cleared of illegal mining to prevent galamsey operators from returning.

He said the decision was necessary because illegal miners had previously returned to some reserves after military personnel deployed to flush them out withdrew.

We have now cleared all nine of those red zones. There are no galamsey operators in those forest reserves, and we have stationed soldiers there to ensure that the illegal miners do not return. The soldiers will remain in those areas, he said.

President Mahama made the announcement during a courtesy call by chiefs from the Western North Region, where he called for greater collaboration between the government and traditional authorities to sustain the fight against illegal mining.

The nine forest reserves had been designated as red zones because of the extent of destruction and the presence of heavily armed illegal miners.

According to the President, previous operations had failed to prevent miners from returning after troops withdrew, leaving forest guards to protect the affected areas.

Whenever forest guards went there, they were fired upon, and some lost their lives, he said.

He urged traditional leaders to support the government's efforts, particularly in communities where some young people and traditional authorities had resisted operations by the National Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Illegal Mining (NAIMOS).

He said chiefs were important partners in the fight because of their influence within their communities and their ability to help address local factors contributing to illegal mining.

The President also raised concerns about incidents in which soldiers had discharged firearms during enforcement operations, resulting in deaths.

He called for stronger engagement with communities and traditional authorities to help prevent further casualties while protecting forest reserves and water bodies from illegal mining.

President Mahama said GoldBod had begun engaging the military in a programme to reclaim degraded forest areas and replant them with trees.

Under the initiative, bulldozers would be used to level damaged land, while the Forestry Commission would work with the military on land reclamation and reforestation.

The programme is intended to support broader efforts to restore areas damaged by galamsey and protect Ghana's forest resources.

The President further announced that the Finance Minister had allocated GH¢400 million in the 2027 Budget to recruit additional Blue Water Guards to patrol water bodies and intensify efforts to combat illegal mining.

He said the guards had been directed to destroy changfang machines used for illegal mining whenever they encountered them.

According to him, several machines had already been destroyed, contributing to the clearing of many major river channels.

However, he noted that illegal mining in tributaries continued to introduce mud and silt into rivers, making sustained enforcement and monitoring necessary.

President Mahama said the fight against galamsey must also address the economic circumstances that push young people into illegal mining.

He stressed that security operations, environmental restoration and collaboration with local communities would all be necessary to sustain the government's efforts.

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