Anti-galamsey group declares Red Friday

Media practitioners across the country will be required to wear red attire on Friday, 21 April as a sign of their disapproval of illicit mining (galamsey).

This was revealed by Ken Ashigbey, Managing Director of the Graphic Group of Communications and member of the Media Coalition against Galamsey, during an interview with Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom, on Accra100.5FM on Wednesday April 19.

He said: “We are hearing that some excavators have been moved out of the place, but what is being done to those excavators? We hope that police and immigration will deal with the foreigners who are engaged in the galamsey. We also hope to see the results of the actions of these security forces who are supposed to be monitoring the mining around and on water bodies.

“The media is keeping an eye on these issues. On Friday, media practitioners and all concerned Ghanaians will wear red and move around from market to market and from one area to the other and campaign for support against galamsey.”

Meanwhile about 400 earth-moving equipment have been voluntarily withdrawn from various illegal small-scale mining sites across the country, John Peter Amewu, Lands and Natural Resources Minister, has revealed.

He told Chief Jerry Forson on Accra100.5FM’s breakfast show on Wednesday 19 April that the heavy equipment are, however, yet to be handed over to the Ministry.

“We have had some reports that are quite encouraging, about voluntary withdrawal of some of the earth-moving equipment at the sites,” he said.

Mr Amewu, whose 21-day ultimatum to the galamseyers to pack out ends this week, said: “I expect that at the end of today, there will be a total withdrawal.

“What will follow,” he said, “is that… of course some element of force will need to be applied.”

According to him, “it is clear that the lawlessness can no longer continue. It’s total lawlessness, it has nothing to do with the mining regulatory framework, and, if, of course its lawlessness, we need to apply the law.”

Mr Amewu is currently undertaking a review tour of all galamsey sites in the country in the Eastern, Western and Central Regions, after which he will take a definitive decision about the next line of action.