A group of concerned Ghanaians have gathered at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to demand the release of ‘anti-galamsey’ protesters who are currently on remand.
Holding placards, the demonstrators called for urgent action to address the environmental destruction caused by illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, in Ghana.
The group urged the Ghanaian government to impose an immediate ban on all illegal mining activities and take decisive steps to restore the country’s water bodies and forest reserves, which have been severely impacted by the practice.
Emmanuel Kumah, one of the protest leaders, spoke on behalf of the group, emphasising the need for swift governmental intervention to protect the environment and ensure the safety of communities affected by galamsey.
“We are in solidarity with our brothers who have been arrested for protesting. Illegal mining causing our water bodies to be polluted and poisoned,” he stated.
“… What is happening now is when people raise their voices against the water pollution, he uses the police to arrest them, intimidate them, and as we speak, about 50 of our colleagues are in detention. Because the president controls the judiciary, he controls the police and people are quiet in the country.
“We can’t let this continue. We want the international media, the United Nations to put the president in order. This is because you cannot be held in prisons as well as police cells without legal representation and medical care,” he stated.
On Saturday, September 21, 2024, some members of a pressure group, Democracy Hub, staged a protest against illegal mining, widely known as galamsey.
The group, as part of its demand, called on the president to take immediate action to halt the operations of illegal miners.
However, the protest which was intended to be peaceful, turned violent after some of the protesters clashed with the police.
The Ghana Police Service accused the protesters of acts of violence including blocking roads, pushing down police barriers, and obstructing traffic, during the group’s demonstration at the 37 Roundabout in Accra, leading to the arrest of over 4o protestors.
The court, on Tuesday, September 24, remanded 39 of the arrested protestors into police custody for two weeks.
