The Upper East Regional Security Council (UEREGSEC) has resolved to embark on an exercise in the coming week to seal off illegal mining pits in our concession at the Gbane Mine Site.
The decision to seal off the identified mining pits which have been assessed to pose danger to the safety of the illegal miners has been supported by the Minerals Commission and Concession owners.
The meeting was called at the behest of the Regional Security Council in response to concerns raised by Earl over the activities of some illegal miners whose operations threaten our operations.
In July 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Earl International Group Gold Limited and identified licensed Small-Scale Miners who hitherto operated within the concession to extinguish their interest in their lease areas. The implementation of the agreement has been largely successful over the period.
“We want to thank Earl for their cooperation ever since we signed the agreement. They have made sure they met their side of the bargain and we are very grateful. Whatever we need to do to support them to work, we are ready to do,” Robert Tampoar, leader of the Concession owners told REGSEC.
In the recent past, Earl has been overwhelmed by the intrusion of large numbers of illegal-small scale miners who come into our underground drives through pits they have dug to connect to our tunnels purposely to pilfer blasted ore. The recent intrusions have led to the record of clashes in our underground tunnels between our security guards and the intruders.
It is worthy of note that officials of the Minerals Commission and Concession owners who have extinguished their interest in their lease areas where these illegal mining activities are taking place were part of the meeting where the decision to seal the pits was taken.
This move to seal these pits has become crucial because some are very close to linking to our underground workings while some have already linked.
These instances pose sufficient threat to our operations and the safety of these miners.
“Aside the losses we suffer as a company from the operations of these illegal miners, we are being proactive in ensuring that we do not record any disaster or fatalities. The incident in 2019 which led to the death of 16 of our brothers was painful and we do not want to ever have such incidents. The earlier we take steps to avoid it by sealing off these pits, the better,” Earl’s Public Relations Officer Ebenezer Bognaab said.
A combined team of officials of the Minerals Commission, National Investigations Bureau, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Armed Forces and Concessionaires are set to conduct the exercise.
Source: PR Unit.
