A Rocha Ghana, a leading environmental conservation group, has condemned the recent violent attacks on a media investigative team on October 21, 2024.
In a press statement, A Rocha Ghana underscored the increasing impunity with which environmental defenders are targeted, the lack of accountability for the perpetrators, and the government’s failure to protect individuals working to safeguard the environment.
“This attack represents yet another vicious example of the escalating impunity with which community members, journalists and social activists are targeted for standing up to illegalities and human rights violations that threaten our lands, forests, and water bodies.”
A Rocha Ghana
The group highlighted the fact that those targeted are often individuals who risk their safety and lives to protect Ghana’s natural resources and ensure the long-term health and well-being of local communities.
In recent years, there has been a surge in illegal mining activities, known locally as “galamsey,” which has led to the contamination of water bodies, destruction of farmlands, and irreversible damage to critical ecosystems across the country.
On October 21, 2024, a media investigative team was brutally assaulted by armed men while documenting illegal mining activities in the Asenanyo Forest Reserve, located in the Ashanti Region.
The incident is the latest in a series of growing threats against those who courageously expose illegal mining operations and environmental degradation.
The media team, led by investigative journalist Erastus Asare Donkor, had been investigating community complaints regarding water pollution, destroyed farmlands, and environmental damage linked to the mining activities of Edelmetallum Mining Resources Limited.
The company, operating illegally within the forest reserve, has been accused of inflicting significant environmental harm.
According A Rocha Ghana, while the team was capturing video evidence of the environmental destruction, they were ambushed by over ten armed men. These assailants, allegedly acting on behalf of the mining company, subjected the team to violent beatings, intimidation, and threats.
Their equipment, including phones, drones, and cameras, was confiscated, and personal items were stolen, leaving them stranded in the remote area.
A Rocha Ghana criticized the police for their failure to apprehend the attackers, raising concerns about the indifference or complicity of law enforcement in these illegal activities.
Illegal Mining Operations and Government Inaction
A key concern raised in A Rocha Ghana’s statement is the illegal status of Edelmetallum Mining Resources Limited.
“According to the Minerals Commission website, this company does not have any mining lease anywhere in Ghana. It only has applications that have not been granted, suggesting its activities are illegal.”
A Rocha Ghana
A Rocha Ghana questioned why, despite this, the company has been allowed to operate with impunity and why law enforcement has failed to act decisively against its activities.
A Rocha Ghana called for swift action to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice. The statement expresses outrage at the lack of accountability for acts of violence committed against those defending the environment.
The group asserted that the attackers, as well as those responsible for illegal mining operations, must be held accountable for their actions, and that the government must take concrete steps to ensure the safety of environmental defenders in Ghana.
The organization also demanded that the Ghanaian government enforce stricter legal frameworks to deter future attacks on environmental defenders.
A Rocha Ghana argued that the current situation, in which illegal mining activities continue unabated and violence against environmental defenders is met with impunity, poses a grave threat to the country’s natural resources and the communities that depend on them.
The press statement emphasized that the attack on the media team should not deter the broader fight against illegal and irresponsible mining in Ghana.
A Rocha Ghana vowed to stand in solidarity with the journalists who were attacked and all others who face intimidation and violence for their efforts to protect the environment.
The organization affirmed its commitment to pursuing justice for those harmed in the line of duty and continuing the fight against illegal mining, which it describes as “eroding the web of our existence as a nation.”
A Rocha Ghana called for justice, accountability, and stronger protections for those working to defend the country’s natural heritage from destruction. The future of Ghana’s forests, rivers, and ecosystems depends on it.
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