The surgical operations focused on illegal miners working in water bodies and forest reserves
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has stepped up its efforts to combat illegal mining, also known locally as galamsey, through a series of coordinated anti-galamsey operations across the Northern, Central, and Southern Commands.
The surgical operations, according to the GAF, focused on significant illegal mining hubs, with a particular emphasis on activity in river basins and forest reserves where environmental degradation has been most severe.
Operation Breakdown:
Northern Command: Troops were deployed to the Bole area and the Black Volta Basin, where illegal mining activities have been linked to the pollution of water bodies and destruction of farmlands.
Central Command: The military targeted the Nkawie and Mankranso Forest Reserves, where extensive illegal mining has posed a threat to biodiversity and forest conservation efforts.
Southern Command: Operations in the Southern Command were concentrated in the Jerusalem area and the Subri Forest Reserve, both of which have witnessed a surge in illegal mining encampments in recent months.
Numerous water pumping machinery, excavators, and other mining-related equipment were confiscated and rendered immobile during the activities, according to a report by citinewsroom.com.
Additionally, the army demolished a number of improvised shelters and buildings that illegal miners had been using inside the forest reserves.
These initiatives are a component of the government’s redoubled effort to replenish Ghana’s forest reserves and shield critical waterbodies from additional pollution, deforestation, and environmental harm.
KA
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