Galamsey: We're creating a rebel armed force - Sefa Kayi warns government

Astute broadcaster Kwami Sefa Kayi has expressed grave concern over the security threat illegal miners commonly known as galamseyers pose to the country.

Conversations on galamsey and its dire impact has come up again after the management of Ghana Water Company Limited in the Central Region announced that there would be challenges with water supply in Cape Coast, Elmina, and surrounding communities.

The company revealed that the recent demand-supply gap is due to inadequate raw water received at the Sekyere Hemang Water Treatment Plant (WTP) caused by galamsey activities.

Following that, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, announced that the government will soon deploy law enforcement agencies to target areas with rising illegal mining activities, with a special focus on the Central Region.

“We are going to have the review today, and I’m 1,000% certain that we are going to deploy. We are going to ramp up our enforcement measures. So all these places you are talking about, we are going to have a cleanup there.

“We are going to have a complete swoop. We are going to send law enforcement agencies to take a swoop of that whole stretch, particularly the Central Region. You can be rest assured of that, and you can monitor that,” he said.

But commenting on the issue on Peace FM monitored by GhanaWeb on Thursday, September 8, 2024, Kwame Sefa Kayi, who holds an Executive Master of Arts in Conflict, Peace & Security (EMCPS) from the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), said the country, due to its inability to clamp down on the menace, is gradually building galamseyers into a rebel armed force.

"You know what I fear? Do you know that we are creating a rebel armed force? We are creating rebels out of this (galamsey). So let's say about four hundred people are wielding 100 guns, these galamseyers are armed. So, bit by bit, by the time we realise they've turned into what is known as ragtag army, who are soldiers not properly trained but are armed and know how to fire the rifles.

"If they decide that they will block the Accra-Kumasi highway, they can do that easily. That is the problem we are faced with. When it comes to the issue of security, I have an interest. If these galamseyers, about 300 hundred of them, decide to block that very important road, what will we do? By the time security personnel will be deployed to that area, they will have finished their operation long ago, Sefa Kayi stated.

KA

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