You’ve killed our member through the lawless burning of excavators - Group

A group calling itself aggrieved small scale miners have described the burning of excavators as lawless.

The group says the team of soldiers are burning excavators of licensed small scale miners without recourse to any engagements.

The convenor of the group, Philip Bawa, speaking on the matter said they want the government to put an immediate halt to the lawless exercise against small-scale miners.

According to him, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources at the regional consultative dialogue assured the nation that they were not against legal small scale miners and that no security personnel will visit their sites for any reason.

"Hence, we don’t know why they are now burning our excavators,’ he said.

He disclosed that some of the excavators are not their personal equipment but were rented.

He argued that the only authority clothed with the lawful duty to visit legal mining sites is the Minerals Commission.

He said what is happening now is contrary to the promise by the Minister, as equipment even at none mining sites is tracked and destroyed.

He alleged that one person has been shot dead in an attempt to remove his personal belongings in an excavator he operated.



”We view the foregoing as lawless, betrayal and human rights abuse which must cease immediately. We are a country of laws and the president is an eminent lawyer and so is the minister for the sector. We call for a meeting with the minister for a practical solution to the problem of illegal mining. In our respective view, this problem is not a military issue but a simple, sincere and honest one since the use of the military has not yielded the desired results in the past and will not do so presently,” he suggested.

He has threatened legal action by the group should their concerns be neglected.

He spoke on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm.