Military task force returns to Kate Gyamfua’s site; burns other equipment

• According to an eyewitness, the task force returned to the site to burn equipment they missed during their initial raid

• A worker of the NPP National Organiser at the site says so far about 10 machines have been destroyed

• Kate Gyamfua's company, Xtra Gold Mining Limited, has vowed to use all necessary legal channels to seek redress."

The anti-galamsey military task force (Operation Halt) returned to the mining site of National Women’s Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party Kate Gyamfua to burn other mining equipment.

The task force, according to an eyewitness, returned to the site on Monday, May 17, 2021, to burn a faulty excavator and a large water pumping machine which escaped their notice on Sunday when they set fire into 8 excavators, a bulldozer and dozens of water pumping machines on the same site.

The task force also burnt other excavators which were not properly burnt during their first attack on the mining site.

Nana Asante Boadi Yeboah, a worker at the mining site narrated to Starr News that, “because of what they did last three days we were at home when we had calls that they’ve come again, they came and had our two machines re-burnt. So far they’ve burnt about 9 to 10 machines on our site ”

Nana Asante Boadi said about 150 water pumping machines have been burnt at the site.

“We had about 150 pumping machines, they have burnt all ..the biggest pumping machine that we use to rotate the water has also been burnt”.

A total of about 16 excavators working for Xtra Gold -a large scale mining company were burnt during last Sunday’s operation by the military taskforce.

Meanwhile, a military helicopter was seen orbiting about 500ft altitude and hovering at the mining site on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, at about 4:30 pm.

The helicopter was on board by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Airforce Commander, and the General Officer commanding Operation Halt to assess the situation on ground.

According to a Facebook post by the Minister, the entourage also undertook an aerial tour of River Oda, Brim, Offin, and Pra in the Ashanti, Eastern, Central and Western Regions.

“This tour was necessitated to ascertain for myself the current progress of Operation Halt, I must say what I observed was daunting. However, the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is determined and committed in our resolve to protect the environment and reclaim degraded land”

He added “I also had the opportunity to interact with communities along the river bodies and entreated all to support government’s ongoing efforts to sanitize our forests and water bodies. A concerted effort by all stakeholders is the only way to overcome this menace.”