50 Burkinabes into charcoal production, logging busted by youth

A team of young people in the Sissala East Constituency has busted about 50 Burkinabes engaging in commercial charcoal production and logging.

They were busted at around Wuru and Pido in the Sissala East Constituency.

The team comprises: Ayamga Bawa Fatawu, Zark Sissala, Ibrahim Doctah Fatawu and two hunters living around the Pido mining site.

The team led by an Environmentalist who doubles as a photojournalist, Mr. Ayamga Bawa Fatawu was embarking on a mission to Wuru and Pido to assess the impact of mining activities of newly discovered mining sites at the two communities.

However, the team later uncovered a number of people from neighbouring Burkina Faso indiscriminately felling trees both day and night for both commercial charcoal production and logging in the area.

"Our visit was meant to assess the impact of the activities of a newly discovered gold mining site in Pudo and Wuru Communities. In the course of combing beyond the mining sites, a large number of Burkinabes were spotted at different sites massively burning, bagging and transporting large bags of charcoal ostensibly to Burkina Faso as the trucks seen were embossed with Burkina Faso vehicle numbers", Ayamga Bawa Fatawu said.

He also recounted that "there have been instances a Military detachment in Tumu visited these areas and chased away foreigners but unfortunately got eluded with the wanton or indiscriminate felling of trees for commercial charcoal burning".

Further interaction with one of the charcoal producers has revealed that high profile and wealthy persons from Burkina Faso are financing the activities because they considered it lucrative.

Also, Mr. Fatawu has bemoaned how these activities on the fragile ecological zone have always been carried out on the blind side of personnel of the Forestry Commission stationed to guard Pido Hills Forest Reserve.

In an interview with the Assemblyman for Wuru Electoral Area, Mr. Robert Atta, he told Araphat Dimah that he has called for a meeting to meet with the team, the police and some other stakeholders to among other things plan to storm the charcoal production sites tomorrow to address the situation.