Friday October 04, 2024
Accra, Ghana
A few hundred young Ghanaians took to the streets of Accra, Ghana’s capital, this Thursday, October 03, to demonstrate against illegal mining activities and demand the release of 54 protesters arrested in September.
Demonstrators carried bottles of polluted water from the Pra and Birim rivers, to highlight the devastating impact of illegal mining, locally known as “galamsey”, on the environment, according to journalists on the scene.
“We cannot stand idly by while our rivers and water bodies are poisoned by mercury. Illegal mining is destroying our environment and our future,” said Henry Tagoe, one of the organizers.
Ghana, Africa’s leading gold producer, has been struggling for years with the negative impact of galamsey.
In particular, illegal mining threatens cocoa cultivation. Faced with the economic crisis that the country has been experiencing since 2022, a growing number of farmers are selling their land to illegal miners.
In addition to the loss of agricultural land, mining activities also contribute to the pollution of rivers and water tables via the chemicals used for extraction.
On September 22 and September 23, 54 demonstrators were arrested for “disturbing the peace” for blocking roads and burning tires during demonstrations against the galamsey launched on September 20.
“We demand the immediate release of our fellow demonstrators. All they did was exercise their right to speak out against this injustice”, demanded Mr. Tagoe.
The demonstrators were also demanding the release of 54 anti-galamsey protesters detained last month. (Photo by Nipah Dennis / AFP)
The organizers are also planning to demonstrate on Friday and Saturday, but Thursday’s mobilization remained low.
Chanting the Ghanaian national anthem and patriotic songs, the demonstrators, dressed in red and black, danced through the streets of Accra.
Few in number, they held up placards bearing slogans such as “Illegal mining is killing us”, “Greed destroys nations” and “Stop the galamsey now”.
Illegal mining has become a central issue in the run-up to the December general elections in this country of 33 million inhabitants.
Unions have called a national strike for October 10 to put pressure on the government.
Humaniterre with AFP
