Community members of Bonteso in the Ashanti Region have attacked the Inspector General of Police's (IGP) Special Anti-Galamsey Taskforce today after the team seized an excavator from an illegal mining site near Manso Nkwanta.

The attackers pelted stones at the team to prevent them from leaving the site, possibly to foil their attempts to move the excavator to the nearest police station.

According to reports, these attackers, largely the community members, were reportedly led by the local assembly member.

In an attempt to disperse the attacking crowd, the police fired warning shots severally however, this did little to nothing.

Leader of the team, ASP Bawah Abdul Jalil, and G/Sgt. Agblekpe Mawuena Yao sustained injuries during the confrontation.

Consequently, the police carried out a targeted arrest, managing to apprehend the assembly member, Patrick Asare, along with two others — Osei Vasco and Akwesi Amponsah.

The officers subsequently gained control of the situation, dispersed the hostile crowd, and transported the seized excavator to the Manso Adubia Police Station.

One other excavator was left at the site due to the volatile circumstances.

The Manso area has long been notorious for rampant illegal mining, which has devastated farmlands and polluted local streams over the years.

Attacks at mining sites are no new in Ghana, following efforts by the government to clamp down on the devastating and environment destructing menace currently facing the country.

In early July, Unknown assailants have shot dead a Chinese national and his Ghanaian driver at an illegal mining (galamsey) site at Subri-Nkwanta in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipality of the Western North Region.

The fatal shooting occurred on Monday, July 7, after the two were ambushed by unknown gunmen while transporting gold concentrate commonly referred to as “black” from the site.

The attackers, believed to be illegal miners, reportedly opened fire without warning and fled into the nearby forest with the gold.

Police are yet to identify the deceased. The command has been to the scene, and their bodies have since been conveyed to the morgue pending autopsy.

Currently, the police say they are treating it as a robbery until further investigations.

Some residents, however, suspect it may be linked to rising tensions among rival illegal mining operators and disputes over land ownership.

In a related case of galamsey and the government's fight against it, the government announced in early June that over 500 arrests had been made from January to May this year in response to efforts to combat illegal mining, locally known as galamsey.

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources revealed this information. The sector minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, attributed the achievement to the government's renewed efforts. According to him, the previous government faced challenges due to its inability to convict the suspects.

“From 2022 to 2024, out of 845 arrests we made, we couldn’t even prosecute. Only 35 were prosecuted, and that is 4%, and that is really the challenge we had to face,” he noted.

The government recently announced that it has reclaimed eight out of nine forest reserves that are known as no-go zones and controlled by illegal miners (galamseyers).

Speaking at the Global Mining Summit on Monday, June 2, President Mahama noted that the recent development marks a significant milestone in Ghana’s ongoing efforts to rehabilitate mined lands and foster sustainable mining practices.

“Let me be clear at this juncture: artisanal miners are not enemies of the state. If properly trained and supported, they can be allies in our development. Working together with the small-scale mining sector, we will reclaim our forest reserves and restore the purity of our water bodies," the President said.

According to President John Dramani Mahama, the government plans to reclaim 10,000 hectares of mined-out lands from illegal mining activities.

The Ghana Police Service, in recent times, has embarked on several operations to crack down on illegal mining activities.

Its special Anti-Galamsey Taskforce seized more than 100 excavators, along with weapons, chanfang machines, bulldozers, and other illegal mining equipment.

The police's efforts have also resulted in the arrest of numerous individuals who are undergoing legal proceedings.

Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the government, in the coming days, will approve the importation of excavators except through a valid permit.

“We will track excavators to know whether they are being used for illegal mining. Ghana currently has more excavators than the rest of Africa combined. The new permitting regime will not allow you to import any excavator unless you have a valid permit to do so,” President Mahama stated.

The Ghana Police Service on July 23 arrested 23 suspects involved in illegal mining, as well as disabled and retrieved various mining equipment.

The Service has deepened its crackdown on illegal mining through targeted, intelligence-led operations in the Western Region.

In the Wassa Akropong District, police arrested 23 suspects during operations along the Wassa Akropong–Japa–Dadieso road.

The team also extended operations to the Obeng Mining Group site at Wassa Japa, where 64 changfan machines were disabled.At Wassa Dominase, officers responded to intelligence on illegal mining near the Goil and Energy Oil filling stations along the Agona Amenfi–Gyedua Kesse Junction road.

Seven changfan machines and washing boards were disabled. Three water pumping machines and one pickaxe were retrieved.

In a separate operation in Asankrangwa, police acted on information about illegal mining near the 1D1F building along the Asankra Saah–Asankra Kwabeng road, retrieving three water pumping machines and four motorbikes.

All suspects are in custody assisting with ongoing investigations.

Over 500 arrests have been made from January to May this year in response to efforts to combat illegal mining, locally known as galamsey.

In May, the Ghana Police Service confirmed the arrest of 17 individuals, including seven Chinese nationals and ten Ghanaians, in connection with illegal mining activities in Samreboi, located in the Western Region.

The Central North Police Regional Command’s Special Anti-Galamsey Taskforce on April 7 apprehended five suspects — two Ghanaians and three Chinese nationals — for engaging in illegal mining activities on River Fum at Assin Ayitey, a farming community near Assin Akonfudi in the Assin North Constituency, within the Central North Police Region.

The arrested individuals were identified as Duut Kwabena Sakakba, aged 29; Bismark Asare, aged 36; and three Chinese nationals — Lin Wei, aged 45; Zhao Min, aged 38; and Lu Chen, aged 41.

The effects of illegal mining continue to affect the country adversely. Billions of cedis are lost due to the smuggling of gold by illegal miners.

Also, the water bodies and forest reserves are being affected due to the use of mercury, other harmful chemicals, and heavy equipment.The government has initiated a number of measures to quell the activities of illegal miners in the country.

Excavator owners and operators who have failed to register their machines with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) risk losing them to the state, as the government intensifies efforts to clamp down on illegal mining activities.