Galamsey: GLRSSMP kicks against shoot and kill policy

The Ghana Landscape Restoration in Small-Scale Mining Project (GLRSSMP) has kicked against shoot to kill policy in the fight against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey in the country.

Lawyer Kwame Jantuah speaking on GHOne TV on the galamsey activities called on President Akufo Addo to take the bull by the horn and deal with the illegal mining by banning small-scale mining in the country for the next five to ten years.

He said a ban on the activities of small-scale mining is the way to go.

Mr. Jantuah added that the President should declare a state of war where security personnel will be allowed to shoot and kill persons found in illegal mining activities.

But, GLRSSMP disagrees with the call on the President to declare a shoot and kill policy.

Speaking on Starr Today with Joshua Kodjo Mensah Tuesday, the National Coordinator for the GLRSSMP, Dr. Kingsley Krugu indicated that President Akufo-Addo is rather looking at a long-term solution to the galamsey menace and not the killing of citizens.

“We need to up our game and not without everybody coming around the table talking about it. I have to say that we are stepping up the efforts by revamping and escalating the efforts against menace. But I do not think that we need to shoot and kill Ghanaians. Whose only crime is trying to get daily bread and make a living.

“I have heard the call to shoot and kill is related to the call to ban small-scale mining activities altogether. We have walked on this path before from March 2017 to December 2018. If you recall there was a ban on small-scale mining activities in this country,” Mr. Krugu stated.

He continued: “What we need to do as a country is to be able to reflect on what we do and question ourselves. Whether the strategies we are using are working, if they are not working or worked the way we expect it, then we ask ourselves what to do going forward, should we repeat the same strategy and expect different results?”

Mr. Krugu said President Akufo-Addo is rather looking at well-structured ways Ghanaians can do mining because it belongs to them.

“What needs to be addressed is the illegality, the wanton destruction of the environment, and the destruction of the water bodies. The solution is not to shoot and kill and not just ban small-scale mining. The solution is to make sure that everybody who is engaged in illegality must stop.”