The Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) has condemned the violent clashes between members of Operation Halt II, a military taskforce, and some youth of Obuasi that resulted in the tragic loss of lives late Saturday, January 18, 2025, at a mining site belonging to AngloGold Ashanti.
Nine people are reported to have been shot and killed while fourteen others are said to be in critical condition and receiving medical attention at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital after sustaining various degrees of injuries.
In a statement signed and issued in Accra on Sunday, January 19, 2025, by the General Secretary of GNASSM, Godwin Amarh, the Association expressed deep concern over the incident and criticized the approach used by the military.
“While the GNASSM does not encourage or condone trespassing on mining concessions, we strongly believe that the military could have employed alternative measures to apprehend the trespassers and bring them to justice, rather than engaging in a firefight”.
“This act of violence is a gross violation of human rights and contravenes the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPSHR), which provide guidelines for mining companies to respect human rights and prevent harm to local communities”, the statement in part read.
The Association, however, expressed its heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and wished those injured a speedy recovery while calling for justice for the victims.
The Association then welcomed the swift directive by the President, John Dramani Mahama, to probe the incident. It commended the government for directing AngloGold Ashanti to cover the full medical expenses of the injured and facilitate burial arrangements for the deceased.
