The government is making a fresh attempt to clamp down on illegal mining activities, known locally as galamsey, by deploying more than 100 armed military soldiers to different bodies of water.
This move comes in response to mounting pressure from more than fifty state and private civil society organizations (CSOs) to take action against galamsey’s environmental destruction, which has seriously harmed the nation’s farms, forests, and waterways.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has ordered the Minister of Defense to reinforce “Operation Halt,” the continuing effort to end illegal mining activities, in order to confront the ongoing threat.
This deployment is a part of the government’s larger plan to step up the fight against galamsey, which has emerged as one of Ghana’s most urgent environmental issues.
The Birim River and other water bodies have been seriously contaminated, making the Eastern Region one of the locations most impacted by illegal mining.
Military boats will be stationed on contaminated river bodies as part of the expanded campaign to ensure the immediate stoppage of all mining operations—legal or illicit—inside and around these vital water bodies.
