Bonteso Clash; NDC’s Yamin urges Mahama to halt anti-galamsey taskforce operations citing unprofessionalism extortionists’ conduct: AUDIO /VIDEO

Following a recent clash between a police task force and community members in Bonteso within the Amansie West district of the Ashanti region that resulted in alleged fatalities and the arrest of four residents, including the assembly member, NDC National Organizer Joseph Yamin has called on President John Dramani Mahama to immediately halt all anti-galamsey task force operations in the country.

Yamin, accompanied by the Deputy National Secretary of the party Mustapha Gbande, visited Bonteso for the first time since the incident. He described the actions of the police taskforce as “very unfortunate.” The gathering to address the community included police led by district and divisional commanders, Ashanti Regional GNASSM executives, chiefs and elders of the community, and other miners.

Speaking to the community, Yamin stated, “I am telling the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, to, as a matter of urgency, order a stop to any mining operations being carried out by the task force. What the taskforce are doing during these anti-galamsey operations can never be said to be fighting illegal mining, but rather extorting monies and creating problems.”

He continued, “I am therefore calling on the President to order the IGP and the Interior Minister to immediately halt all anti-galamsey operations being carried out by the taskforce.”

Yamin questioned the task force’s methods and motives. “Do we want to say that there is no legal miner in Ghana here? Where and how does the taskforce check the documents of people who are mining, where they are mining, and whether they have permits to mine or they don’t have permits to mine? A set of questions should be answered. There is a lot of education to be given. This is why I urge the President to halt all operations for us to find lasting solutions to these problems. Otherwise, at the end, we’ll see some people enrich their pockets with huge sums of money without solving any problem.” He said

Yamin’s call comes amidst growing concerns about the conduct of anti-galamsey task forces and the potential for abuse and extortion. The clash in Bonteso has further intensified the debate about the effectiveness and fairness of the current approach to combating illegal mining.