Administrator of the Minerals Development Fund (MDF), Dr Hanna Louisa Bissiw-Kotei, has expressed concern over the attack on residents in mining communities by illegal miners
Speaking on The Upside Down Show on Channel One TV, Dr Bissiw-Kotei said her recent visits to several mining areas revealed that illegal miners were not only destroying the environment but also terrorising local inhabitants.
“When we visited the communities, we realised that illegal miners have been beating and terrorising residents. The community members are being assaulted by the illegal miners,” she stated.
Dr. Bissiw-Kotei also indicated that the belief that illegal mining is carried out by community members is false, explaining that the galamsey is mostly done by outsiders
“When you are in Accra, you will think those involved in illegal mining are the people in the communities—no. That’s not the case. The people who come from outside are the ones responsible, and the first thing they do is to terrorise the locals,” she added.
She added that they do this to them to create a culture of silence.
“The people come from outside and the first thing they do is to terrorize them , culture of silence, they shoot, they beat some of them dig big trenches on their farm lands so that you can’t go anymore to the farm’
