AngloGold Ashanti Ghana Limited has reiterated its calls for government to completely flush out illegal miners occupying the Obuase mine.
The call comes after government successfully deployed security forces to remove illegal miners operating in the Sansu Lizard Face and Wawase areas, stopping them from making further incursions into the underground work of the Obuase mine.
Speaking to Citi Business News, the Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti Ghana, Eric Asubonteng said government had demonstrated that it is within its power to peacefully, and speedily restore law and order at the mine.
“The further incursion has worried us so much that we raised the flag again to the authorities and luckily we had the security agencies come in to stop the illegal miners from making further incursions,” he said
He stated that the area is currently secured but there is particular zone that is also occupied by the illegal miners and require immediate security presence.
Mr. Asubonteng lauded the security agencies for carrying out the exercise without any records of injury.
“It has been well done, there has been no incident, law and order has been restored in those two particular areas,” he said.
Mr. Asubonteng made a plea to extend the exercise to other areas of the concession still being occupied by the illegal miners.
Citi Business News has gathered that the development comes after AngloGold Ashanti Ghana said that the presence of the illegal miners would prompt a force withdrawal from site.
Government committed to flash out illegal miners
The Minerals Commission recently disclosed that government was engaging and employing all legitimate tactics to flush out illegal miners.
According to the commission, government and its allied agencies were only weighing all options available to it to ensure that life and properties are protected during the process.
Illegal miners invade AA mine
In February this year, hundreds of illegal miners invaded the fenced area of AngloGold Ashanti’s Obausi mine which led to the death of a senior management staff, John Owusu.
At the time, Mr. Asubonteng stated that, with each passing day that law and order was not restored the company’s orebody got damaged.
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By: Norvan Acquah – Hayford/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
