News Desk
The Atronie Traditional Authority in the Bono Region has issued a one-week ultimatum to illegal miners in the area to remove their equipment to enable the people to engage in their farming activities.
Addressing the media at a galamsey site at Jinijini in the Atronie Traditional Area of the Sunyani Municipality, which the authority says has been forcefully taken over by illegal miners, the secretary to the Atronie Traditional Authority, Nana Yaw Ampofo, painted a heartbreaking picture of the suffering being endured by local farmers.
Nana Ampofo said the cries of hundreds of helpless farmers who have been forced to abandon their farms out of fear for their lives will forever haunt any government that allows such a situation to continue.
According to him, armed landguards associated with the illegal mining activities have created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, making it impossible for many farmers to access their farms.
“What crime have these farmers committed?” he asked. “Their only offense is trying to earn an honest living from the land inherited from their forefathers. Today, they are unable to step onto their farms because they fear for their lives.”
He said hundreds of farmers in Jinijini have virtually lost their source of livelihood as they can no longer access their farmlands, leaving many families in distress and uncertainty.
Nana Ampofo noted that the destruction is not taking place in a remote forest hidden from public view but on farmlands located barely 15 kilometers from Sunyani, the Bono Regional Capital.
He questioned why such activities are being allowed to continue openly despite the government’s repeated declarations that it is committed to fighting galamsey.
“The people do not understand how a country that claims to be fighting illegal mining can sit unconcerned while poor farmers are chased away from their livelihoods and the environment is destroyed before the eyes of everyone,” he stated.
The secretary revealed that several efforts had been made to draw the attention of the Bono regional minister, as well as the district, divisional, and regional police commands, to the situation, but those efforts have so far yielded no results.
According to him, Sunyani hosts the regional headquarters of virtually all the security agencies, including military barracks, yet the vulnerable farmers and the environment continue to suffer without protection.
He described the situation as painful and difficult for residents to understand, especially when the affected communities continue to watch their lands being destroyed while authorities remain silent.
Nana Ampofo further alleged that the persons engaged in the illegal mining activities have been identified as people from Dormaa who were brought into the area by some traditional authorities from Wamfie (Mansin).
He accused those involved of deliberately attempting to divert public attention from the environmental destruction by portraying the issue as a boundary dispute.
However, he insisted that the Atronie Traditional Authority is not engaged in any boundary dispute.
According to him, Atronie shares a boundary with Sunyani in the affected area, while Wamfie, which forms part of the Dormaa Traditional Council, has its boundary with Sunyani further west and therefore does not come into the matter.
“We will not allow anybody to use boundary issues as a smokescreen to distract attention from the destruction of our lands, our farms, and our environment,” he stressed.
The Atronie Traditional Authority has, therefore, given the galamsey operator at Jinijini a one-week ultimatum to vacate the area and remove all excavators, equipment, and personnel from the site.
Nana Ampofo warned that if the illegal miners fail to leave within the stipulated period and authorities continue to ignore the concerns of the people, the Traditional Authority may be compelled to take action to reclaim and protect its lands.
He cautioned that any consequences arising from continued inaction could become difficult for even government to handle.
The Authority is therefore calling on the government, security agencies, and all relevant stakeholders to act immediately to protect the environment and restore the livelihoods of the many farmers whose only desire is to return to their farms and provide for their families. Enditem
