The chiefs and the people of Atronie in the Sunyani Municipality of the Bono Region have turned to the gods of the area to tackle illegal mining popularly referred to as “galamsey,” as the government is said to be losing the fight against the menace.
“We are going to invoke the assistance and anger of our local deity to stop the galamseyers, and that will be disastrous”, Nana Yaw Ampofo, Secretary to the Atronie Traditional Authority threatened.
He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that all attempts to get relevant state authorities to come to their aid have proved futile hence the decision to seek the intervention of the gods.
Describing the local shrine as “unforgiving”, Nana Ampofo said the traditional authority was only informing the government about its decision because “nothing can be done to pacify the gods if we invoke their anger”.
He said some individuals are currently undertaking illegal mining activities in the area for which the chiefs reported the matter to the police, the municipal assembly, and other relevant institutions.
However, no action has been taken as the galamseyers continue to destroy crops, farmlands, water bodies, vegetation, and forest cover in the area.
Nana Ampofo also lamented the pollution and destruction of the Amoma River, the only source of drinking water for the community, calling on government to take a decisive action to address the situation.
EPA’s advice on Galamsey
The decision by the Atronie Traditional Authority followed a recent advice by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to traditional leaders to invoke customary taboos and spiritual sanctions against illegal miners; arguing that cultural beliefs could become a powerful weapon in escalating the fight against galamsey.
The Regional Director of the EPA in Tarkwa, Mr Derick Ashia Logo, who made the appeal in an interview with the media, expressed concern over the growing boldness of illegal miners, many of whom, he said, are heavily armed and pose a serious threat to law enforcement officers.
State agencies, he noted, are increasingly facing dangerous confrontations during monitoring and enforcement exercises because illegal miners refuse to abandon their activities despite repeated warnings.
“We have come to realise that as we do our enforcement and monitoring, when we speak to these galamseyers, they are not prepared to stop what they are doing. They are so emboldened that they have ammunition on site, and if you’re not well prepared, you can lose your life.
“We believe that the chiefs who are custodians of the lands in these communities have the power to invoke the spirits in water bodies and in the forests. They should call their people together and let them know that anybody who goes into the water body or forest to mine without the appropriate permit should die,” he charged.
Mr. Ashia Logo also appealed to the government to provide financial support for community-based environmental protection initiatives to strengthen the role of traditional authorities in the fight and safeguard natural resources.
He proposed stricter accountability measures for chiefs who fail to protect natural resources within their jurisdictions.
“The government should come up with a policy. If you fail to protect the water bodies and forests and allow people to destroy them, you should be de-stooled. I believe no chief is prepared to be destooled, so they will have no reason but to help protect the water bodies and our forests,” he said.
The EPA’s appeal comes at a time there are growing concerns from environmentalists, civil society groups and the general public over the devastating activities of illegal miners.
By Kyei Boateng
