In Ghana, a Forestry Commission task force arrested 12 people suspected of illegal mining in the Atewa Range Forest Reserve in the country’s Eastern Region. The operation was carried out at dawn on September 4 near the Sagimase community, in compartments 61 and 62 of the reserve within the Kibi Forest District.
Operation in the reserve
According to MyJoyOnline, 17 officers from the Assin-Fosu, Akyem-Oda and Juaso forest districts were involved in the covert operation. The group was deployed at around 1:30 a.m.
The Forestry Commission said the raid participants found a group of people engaged in mining at the site and arrested 12 suspects. Other people, according to the agency, managed to flee into the surrounding forest.
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During the operation, five motorcycles, 11 shovels, water hoses, blankets used for washing gold, and three gallons of petrol were seized. Two motorcycles and the other seized items were handed over to the Kibi District Police for further investigation and possible prosecution. Three more motorcycles were left in storage at the Forestry Service district office in Kibi.
Watershed area
The Forestry Commission said the operation passed without injuries, and that the seizure of equipment and arrests are intended to deter illegal mining in forest reserves. The Atewa Reserve is a biodiversity hotspot and an important watershed area: the Birim, Densu and Ayensu rivers originate there. These rivers provide water to millions of people, including residents of Accra and nearby communities.
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