A shovel scoops out earth from one of two active pits at the Taparko-Bouroum gold mine site in northern Burkina Faso, March 11, 2009. (REUTERS File Photo)
The Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Mines has in the wake of the latest invasion of AngloGold Ashanti’s mining site by illegal miners, reiterated his calls for the state to deploy security to legal mining sites in the country.
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM’s Midday News on Wednesday, Sulemana Koney stated that the deployment of security at the mining sites will prevent any interference from community members mostly engaged in illegal small scale mining.
“At the end of the day, we want appropriate security deployment at the mining sites so that they [miners] can focus on the core business of mining for the country,” he appealed.
According to him, these calls have been made in the past, leading to some engagement with the government and the Ghana Police Service at some point.
Mr Koney’s calls come against the backdrop of reports that about 300 illegal miners had been trapped in one of the shafts at Anwiam in the Obuasi East District of the Ashanti Region.
The miners reportedly entered the underground shaft in search of gold deposits but were unable to come out after all exit routes were closed.
Meanwhile, AngloGold in a statement issued on May 30 clarified that unauthorised individuals who entered the mine are able to exit on foot through the existing ramp and main access points, and no one has been confined underground.
“Unauthorised persons underground are able to exit on foot, via the existing ramp, through the main access of this mining area. No person underground has been confined in any way, and the main exit ramp from the mine remains open,” portions of the statement read.
Reacting to the happenings, Sulemana Koney described it as unfortunate.
He said the incidence of illegal miners making unauthorised entries into legal mining sites is “becoming a nightmare for us as an industry.”
He wants the relevant stakeholders to support the industry to “coil such an unfortunate situation.”
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