Military debunks reports that 200 persons were arrested for galamsey along River Pra

The Military High Command has debunked reports indicating that 200 persons were arrested for mining illegally along the River Pra.

The Command also refuted reports that the team seized 200 excavators.

“The information that has been put out there is misleading… that information about 200 Ghanaians being arrested is never true,” the Acting Chief of Defence Intelligence, Brigadier General Abraham Nsiah Yeboah said.

“At the time of the operation. There were no locals there. There were no indigenes. There were only two Chinese there,” he added.

Brigadier General Yeboah noted that on the day of the operation, a Wednesday, it was customary for the locals not to go near the river.

The two Chinese were arrested by the Wassa East District Security Council at their rented residence at Ateiku in the Western Region.

The two, who were protected by armed guards, were operating at a site in Patatwumso.

As part of recent efforts against illegal mining, 200 military personnel were deployed to flush out illegal miners destroying water bodies in the country.

The directive was based on the suggestions the government received during the Stakeholder Dialogue on Small Scale Mining which took place from April 14 to 15, 2021.

The government recently renewed its commitment to fight illegal mining at a National Consultative Dialogue on Small Scale Mining, where stakeholders charged the government to take steps to strictly apply the country’s mining laws.