Galamsey Fight: Outrage After Brutal Attack On Forestry Commission Officer In Offin Forest Reserve

• Illegal miners attacked a Forestry Commission Rapid Response team in the Offin Shelterbelt Forest Reserve
• One Forestry Commission officer reportedly sustained serious wounds after the attack by illegal miners
• The attack on the Forestry Commission Rapid Response team has sparked outrage from Ghanaians online

An attack on a Forestry Commission Rapid Response team by armed illegal miners in the Offin Shelterbelt Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region has sparked public outrage.

Joy News reported that one officer sustained a deep machete wound to his knee during an ambush by the illegal miners.

He is currently receiving treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.

The incident on March 23 occurred when the team entered the reserve to counter some illegal mining activities.

Before they entered the reserve, they reportedly captured footage of some of the armed individuals manning a barrier at the forest’s entrance.

However, upon venturing deeper into the reserve, they discovered that a group of miners had laid an ambush for them.

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The Offin Shelterbelt Forest Reserve is a known hotspot for illegal mining.

The continued activities of illegal miners and the recent attack have prompted renewed concern from some citizens.

The Akufo-Addo administration was rocked by anti-illegal mining protests in 2024, with activists suggesting renewed demonstrations.

Some have even advocated for military intervention in the illegal mining fight.

3News reported that the spokesperson for Movement for Change, Andrew Appiah-Danquah urged President John Mahama to take more radical measures.

"He is giving the right signals and I support that. I don’t play with the blue guard initiative. I think that it is the step in the right direction but having said that I think he should be a lot more radical."

Illegal mining violence at Obuasi

Meanwhile, soldiers killed at least seven people believed to be illegal miners at an AngloGold Ashanti mine on January 18. The Ghana Armed Forces claimed the soldiers acted in self-defence.

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People from the Obuasi township, including its Member of Parliament, have called for a thorough and impartial investigation, demanding accountability and measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Ghana's President Mahama also ordered a probe into the clash between illegal miners and some soldiers protecting AngloGold Ashanti Mines that left at least seven dead earlier this year.

The government also expressed regret over the loss of life in the incident on January 18, 2025, and called for anyone found to have acted unlawfully during the incident to be held accountable.

Two die after Tano-Anwia reserve is stormed

YEN.com.gh reported that two persons were killed after two groups of illegal miners clashed in the Tano-Anwia forest reserve in Aowin on January 22.

The groups of galamsey perpetrators were said to have been led by known political activists and had taken over the forest reserve to mine illegally.

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Members of a rapid response team dispatched to the area were reportedly accosted by the illegal miners, taken to an unknown area and assaulted.

Source: YEN.com.gh