Operation Halt II takes anti galamsey fight to Western Region; destroys about 20 excavators
- Operation Halt II has begun its Western Region operation with a bang
- It destroyed several excavators and other illegal mining equipment along Ankobra, Bonusu, and Bonsa Rivers
- It comes a day after President Akufo-Addo declared his full support for the operation
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Operation Halt II has destroyed several excavators along the Ankobra, Bonusu, and Bonsa Rivers in the Western Region, YEN.com.gh has gathered.
Source: UGC
Made of three units of the Ghana Armed Forces—the 2nd and 5th Infantry Battalions and the 64th Infantry Regiment, Operation Halt II began its Western Region operation on Thursday, May 27, 2021.
The team is being supported by personnel drawn from the Ghana navy, air force, Southern Command, 48th Engineers’ Regiment, and the Support Service.
The operation is expected to end on Saturday 29 May.
According to a report sighted on Asaaseradio.com, the team destroyed two washing machines and floating platforms on the Bonusu River, and 18 excavators along the Rivers Ankobra and Bonsa.
“Ten changfans and two water pumping machines sited along the Bonsa River were also destroyed,” the outlet reported citing a source close to the operation.
“The Operation Halt II team, led by Lieutenant Colonel Prince Tandoh, located and destroyed one excavator, 100 changfan machines, 20 water pumping machines, four motorbikes, and other illegal mining equipment on a site close to the Ankobra River,” the source added.
Operation Halt II’s latest invasion of illegal mining sites in the Western Region comes a day after President Akufo-Addo endorsed the burning of excavators and other equipment confiscated at these mining sites.
“The presence of ‘changfans’ in water bodies is illegal, as is the unlawful use of excavators in protected forest zones,” President Akufo-Addo said on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, during the sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of the first phase of the “Law Village”.
“The devastation caused by this equipment is nothing short of evil and we should not compromise in our efforts to protect our environment, forest reserves, and water bodies.”
In other news, uneasy tension is brewing at Amanase, a community near Suhum along the Accra-Kumasi highway.
News reaching YEN.com.gh indicates that some irate youth of the community have blocked the highway in protest of reckless driving after a speeding vehicle crushed an elderly man to death.
They burnt tyres during the spontaneous protest, causing massive vehicular traffic.
According to a report sighted on Starrfm.com.gh, the speeding vehicle crushed the man to death whilst he was crossing the road at about 7:30 pm.
The “man’s mortal remain was shredded and littered on the road,” the report noted.
The irate youth created unbearable gridlock on the highway for close to an hour until the arrival of armed police to the scene.
They reportedly had to resort to the firing of warning shots to disperse the raging youth and clear the road to traffic.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
