Small Scale miners on AngloGold Ashanti’s Concessions to be moved out in batches.

By Emmanuel Agyemfra Boateng/Obuasitoday.com.

The Movement Committee set up to move out Artisan Small Scale Miners from the concessions of AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi mine, is set to start the movement process early this week and will see the first batch of 1,000 registered Small Scale miners’ working at Cot’dor moved out peacefully to the new sites.

In a media engagement with local media houses yesterday, the Chairman for the Committee debunked all allegations that, they were planning to move them out with the military.

According to him the current number of Small Scale miners working at Cot dor is over 2,700; and the Committee with the aid of their executives will officially move the first batch of 1,000 workers to the newly demarcated sites which falls within the 60% concession released to the government by AngloGold Ashanti early this year.

“Some people misquoted the committee by saying we we’ve ordered them to forcibly leave Cot dor by Tuesday. This is not true at all. We are doing this with their Chairman, Mr. Kumah and other top executives who have all agreed to talk to over 1,000 registered members to leave for the new sites in Suhyenso, Adumanu, Cardiff and Kotopreso”, he explained.

Military swoop.

Mr. Kwaku Frimpong Kumah refuted allegations that, the Movement Committee has asked the Military to go and sack all small scale miners on Tuesday “We’ve never said or written anything like that, but what we plan doing is to peacefully move all the 2,700 by close of the month; after which, the Military then goes with AGA to secure the site again”.

The Movement Committee.

The 14 member Movement Committee is made up of up of three representatives from the Minerals Commission, three representatives from the Small Scale Miners Association, and three representatives from AngloGold Ashanti.

It also includes a representative from the Ghana Chamber of Mines, two representatives from the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, the Obuasi Police Commander; who represents the security agencies and a representative from the Adansi Traditional Council.

They were given a one month deadline to finish with the movement which ends on 30th September,2016.