Ghana army killed seven illegal miners during a shoot out with soldiers in the Ashanti region. The army said that about 60 armed men breached a security fence at the mine, on Saturday.
Reportedly, the Ghanaian small-scale miners’ associations confirmed that the soldiers killed nine unarmed people at an AngloGold Ashanti mine, whereas the army stated that seven illegal miners were killed in a firefight.
Local Chairman of the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners – Kofi Adams stated that nine people had been killed and fourteen are severely injured in the incident at the Obuasi gold mining site in the Ashanti Region of the West African Country.
Adams further cleared through his statement that people had not been armed. Ghana’s armed forces also released a statement on their part and said that about 60 illegal miners carried local manufactured rifles and other weapons breached the security fence of the mine at around 11:00 p.m. on Saturday. They fired on a military patrol which was deployed there that led to a shootout.
According to the Chairman it is unprecedented and it is difficult to understand why this has happened. It noted that in the past, trespassers on the site had been sacred off with warning shots only.
Considering this, the newly and recently appointed President of Ghana – John Dramani Mahama released an order of conducting immediate investigation into the incident. The presidency called the incident ‘tragic’ on Sunday.
Moreover, the government has asked AngloGold Ashanti to cover the medical expenses of the injured and the cost of burials, said the presidency. They also mentioned that AngloGold Ashanti could not be reached immediately for any comment.
South African city, Johannesburg listed that the miner owns the Iduapriem and Obuasi mines in southern Ghana. The two mines have produced more than 490,000 ounces of gold last year in 2024.
AngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti Limited is an independent and global gold mining company with a diverse portfolio of cooperation, projects and exploration activities which was formed in 2004 by the merger of AngloGold and the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation.
The firm was considered as a global gold producer with 21 operations on four continents as of 2022, listed on the New York, Johannesburg, Accra, London and Australian stock exchanges. It also considers Paris and Brussels bourses, and left the Johannesburg exchange in the year 2023.
It became the world’s fourth-largest gold miner by May 2023, with assets in Ghana, Australia, the US and Argentina. The company holds a great history of gross human rights violations that caused grave environmental problems for which it has also won one of the Public Eye Awards.