A major security crackdown has been carried out at the Boi Forest Reserve in the Aowin Municipality of the Western North Region, where illegal miners have invaded and caused widespread destruction to vast portions of land.
The Boi Forest, which shares a boundary with Côte d’Ivoire, has become a hotspot for galamsey activities. The illegal miners are said to operate deep inside the reserve, about six hours from Aowin, where they have set up camps to carry out their operations.
A combined National Security Taskforce, made up of the police, military, national security operatives, and the Blue Water Guard, stormed the forest to clamp down on the illegal activities. Although the miners managed to escape before the Taskforce arrived, the team destroyed their camps and set them ablaze.
Several mining machines, including pumping equipment and changfangs, were also burnt during the operation. This action, according to the Taskforce, was necessary to disable the operations of the miners and prevent them from returning.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Aowin, Mr. Stephen Morcher, explained that he received credible intelligence about the invasion of the forest by illegal miners who had already destroyed large tracts of land. He said due to the violent nature of the miners, he called for national security support to deal with the situation.
Mr. Morcher revealed that the miners had built permanent camps in the forest, and their numbers were estimated to be over 2,000. He further stated that the illegal operators were not Ghanaians but foreigners from Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Burkina Faso, and Togo, who do not understand the local languages.
He stressed that the fight against illegal mining in the Boi Forest Reserve requires urgent government intervention, calling for the establishment of a permanent military base within the reserve to deter the activities of the foreign miners.
According to him, the miners usually escape across the border into Côte d’Ivoire whenever security personnel approach, making arrests very difficult. This, he said, further complicates the efforts of the Taskforce in combating the menace.
The MCE issued a strong warning to all illegal miners to vacate the forest reserves and water bodies within the municipality. He emphasized his commitment to ensuring that galamsey is eradicated from Aowin, pledging that he will not relent in protecting the environment from destruction.
