Anti-galamsey task force seizes weapons and excavators in Western Region

A joint security task force in the Western Region has carried out a major anti-galamsey operation, leading to the seizure of eight excavators, seven pump-action guns, sixty-six cartridges, and four mobile phones from illegal miners operating along the Ankobra River in the Evalue Ajomoro Gwira Constituency.

The operation, led by the Western Regional Security Council and supported by personnel from the Ghana Immigration Service, Police, Navy, Air Force, and the Second Infantry Battalion, also saw the destruction of several makeshift shelters and water pumping machines used by the miners.

The targeted areas, including Ampasie, Atongo Junction, Petro, and Dominase, have suffered severe environmental damage.

Farmlands and cocoa plantations are being destroyed, and the Ankobra River is at risk of contamination due to mining activities taking place less than a kilometre from its banks.

Residents say they are paying a heavy price. Although they operate in our communities, they fail to employ locals.

Instead, they bring outsiders to do the work and sell us sand for building,” said Ekua Asantewaa, a food vendor. “We’re losing our water sources, and our farms are being destroyed.”

Brigadier General Musa Whajah (Rtd.), the Western Region’s National Security Liaison Officer, said the fight against illegal mining is far from over.

He noted that while logistics remain a challenge, they are committed to restoring the Ankobra River and protecting the environment.

“This will not be a one-time action. We plan to carry out further operations and may even use canoes to patrol the Ankobra and Pra rivers,” he said.