Armed infantries of the Sixth Battalion deployed from their military base in Kamina Barracks in Tamale, Saturday, March 3, carried out a combative operation to intensify a crackdown on illegal sand miners along the White River at Nawuni near Kumbungu in the Northern Region.
According to reports, dozens of heavy sand mining machines including about fourteen (14) tipper trucks and an excavator were burnt by the soldiers who stormed the area by trucks.
The illegal miners fled the area before the armed forces arrived, thus no arrest was made.
Some residents and miners who saw the soldiers advancing towards the mining site said they counted about three military trucks loaded with heavily armed soldiers.
One of the trucks was carrying a canoe, a panicked resident of Dalun, a village along the path to the river told Starr News.
Miners earlier blamed a Joint Security Operations responsible for a nationwide crackdown on illegal mining – Operation Vanguard for the destruction, however, its commander, Colonel Michael Amoah Ayisi denied their direct involvement but confirmed he was aware of the incident.
He explained that the operation was carried out by men of the 6th Battalion in Tamale to support the ongoing operation against galamsey in the country.
The Garrison command in the region has not responded to requests for comment. Calls to its public relations officer, Captain Asamoah went repeatedly unanswered.
The illegal miners have harvested at least one thousand trucks of sand daily near the river for two years now, to supply to the construction market, threatening installations of the Ghana Water Company sited in the river serving as source of fresh water for residents of five districts including the Tamale Metropolis.
The unregulated operation by the miners have polluted the water source, caused deep environmental damages, pushed farmers away from farmlands and forced fishmongers to hang their nets.
Despite several efforts by the Regional Security Council, the activity persisted until management of the Ghana Water Company engaged national security personnel to combat the activity.
Weeks ago, Starr News exclusively reported that National Security officers had chased the miners from the mining site with airplane.
No incident was recorded in that operation but the miners invaded the site again just three days later to continue plundering the environment and threatening to cut water supply to the over 70000 (seventy thousand) residents in Tamale, Kumbungu, Tolon, Sagnarigu, Savelugu districts.
This is the second incident involving soldiers of the Sixth Battalion. Last week, the forces invaded about three mining villages including Dollar Power town in the Bole- Bamboi district and burned down hundreds of makeshift shelters and mining tools belonging to illegal miners.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Eliasu Tanko
