Ghana President John Mahama don direct say make di police investigate one deadly clash between soldiers and residents for Aglogold Ashanti im Obuasi gold mine wey kill eight pipo.
Di clash happun as plenti residents wey Anglogold bin describe as illegal miners storm dia operation area wia dem don fence.
For one statement wia di company release, dem tok say “plenti illegal miners wey carry arms try to force dia way into di mine area and guard soldiers defend diaserf and di mine infrastructure.”
Dem add say “authorities don confam say seven illegal miners die for di attack wia some of dem hurt togeda wit one soldier.”
According to some of di residents, na dem dey enta di area of di concession wia Anglogold no dey mine for dia again.
“We bin gather for Anwiam bifor we begin to enta di area wia our leaders tok say Anglogold no dey operate for dia again,” one of di miners tok local media.
“We begin dey cut di fence for dat area wia our leaders enta di yard bifor di soldiers don arrive for di place wey dem order say make everybodi comot di area – na so di clash happun.”
Wetin di Ghana armed forces tok
Inside one statement, tok tok pesin for di armed forces Brigadier-general Eric Aggrey Quarshie don explain wetin happun.
Im tok say “about 60 illegal miners bin try to trespass di Anglogold Ashanti mines wia dem fire di military deployment on site wit dia local rifles, pump action guns, gas cylinders, knife and oda tins.”
Di armed forces tok tok pesin add say, “di troops return fire in self defence wey lead to di death of di seven pipo, di odas run away.”
“Pellets from one pump action gun from di illegal miners bin hit one soldier wey im hurt, we don also collect six pump action BB cartridges from some of di pipo.”
Di GAF end dia statement say, “soldiers wey dey lawful duty get di right to defend diaserf, innocent civilians and property including lethal force, if necessary to preserve life.”
Dem also warn oda illegal miners to stay away from mining concessions wia dem tok say make pipo no engage soldiers for shootout sake of e fit be fatal.
Goment direct investigations
Goment tok say di tin wey happun na sad tin, as im claim di life of at least eight pipo.
Tok tok pesin for President John Mahama explain say, “di president don order immediate investigation for dis mata to find out wetin happun and if pipo don act unlawfully, dem go face di law.”
For di statement wia oga Felxi Kwakye -Ofosu bin sign tok say “goment don ask Anglogold Ashanti say make dem pay di medical expenses of di pipo wey hurt and also make dem facilitate di burial of di pipo wey die.”
“Di goment don also task di security agencies to restore peace for di area and implement measures to prevent similar tins.”
Some pipo don chook mouth for dis mata as dem dey wonder why di goment dey ask di company to pay di medical bills of di pipo wey hurt when dem no investigate di mata.
Schools bin shutdown for di area
Afta di clash, angry residents bin storm di street wia dem burn some of di company buses, cars and oda properties.
Sake of di kasala wey happun on 19 January, schools wia Anglogold Ashanti bin build for di area don shutdown.
Simon Attah-Cato wey be executive director for Anglogold Ashanti schools announce say “management bin notice di mata wey involve di burning of cars of private pipo and companies, na so we close di schools on Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 January 2025.”
“Dis na to safeguard lives and property and to promote safety and welfare of our students, staff and parents.”
Some sabi pipo don raise concern about di latest development
Di bureau of public safety don tok say “di soldiers don kill di residents wey dem suppose protect.”
Nana Yaw Akwaada tok say, “wetin di armed forces tok for statement no be enough. To issue statement afta una kill citizens no good, dis approach na insult to di families of pipo wey die.”
“Wetin di soldier bin do na unprofessional wia I see say di goment don tok say make dem investigate di mata, but who go do dat investigation? Make we no repeat mistakes wey we bin do again.”
Background of clash between Anglogold Ashanti and Obuasi residents
Anglogold Ashanti na ogbonge gold mining company for di world wit dia operation for 11 kontris across 4 contents.
Di company get assets for ogbonge gold areas like Tanzania, DRC, Guinea, Egypt, Cote D’ivoire, Australia, US, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia.
Dem don begin to mine for Obuasi in 1897 wia dem stop for di last quarter of 2014 for one redevelopment project.
Dem reopen di mine for October 2020.
Dem don list di company for di New York, Johannesburg and Ghana stock exchange.
Ova di years, residents of Obuasi bin complain say di company no dey try for dem as dem no do plenty development for di area.
Di residents been do demonstration, dem bin clash wit workers at di mine and even petition traditional authorities about di mata.
Dem tok say even though di company bin dey mine gold for di area for many years, dem no get good roads, health facilities wia dia youth neva get jobs.
For July 2023, youth groups for dia – Obuasi community mining association bin beg di president and chiefs say make Anglogold “release some of dis concessions to di community make we use for mining.”
But di company say dem do a lot for di community.
Sustainability manager for di company for 2023 tok say dem spend plenty dollars to build schools and oda tins.
“We bin build hospital for di community wia pipo bin dey use, di hospital don employ ova 200 staff. For 2019 and 2020 we support di goment hospital for di area to build maternity block,” oga Emmanuel Baidoo tell journalists.
Di company also tok say dem don impact ova 12,000 pipo for di Obuasi community wia dem register 7,000 pipo for di national health insistence scheme since 2019.”
Despite dis, di clash between residents and di company don dey happun; many pipo don die in di past wia odas injure.
