Deadline Issued to Afao Hills and Anwiaso Illegal Miners

The Rapid Response Unit has issued a deadline for illegal miners who fled and left behind their equipment in the Afao Hills and the Anwiaso South Forest reserves in the Bibiani Forest District to go for them or face the consequences.
According to a report by journalist Erastus Asare Donkor, the illegal miners left behind 16 excavators, and one bulldozer when they caught wind of the Unit’s crackdown on them on January 30, 2025.
“In all Sixteen (16) Excavators, one (1) Bulldozer and other mining equipment were left in the reserve as the illegal miners fled before the team reached the scene,” he wrote on Facebook on February 4, 2025.
“The team in their interactions with local people, announced a deadline for those who brought the excavators there to move them out of the reserve, else drastic action will be taken when the team returns after the deadline.”
The journalist reported extensive damage to a large area of the Forest, amidst ecosystems and biodiversity loss.
There has been a renewed resurgence in illegal mining activities across the country. The government has vowed to clamp down on this illicit activity with a directive to the requisite Ministries to effect the arrest and prosecution of all culprits.
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini