The National Coalition on Mining (NCOM)-Ghana, a group of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has called for an explanation of why security personnel have been deployed around mines in the country.

The Coalition, comprising of 13 CSOs, which works to end human right abuses in mining communities, have therefore called on the Ministries of Defence and Interior “to make a full public disclosure of the terms and the rules of engagement under which the security services operate and use their arms”.

A statement issued by the Coalition and made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani on Friday, also called on the nation to respect her commitments to international human rights protocols by ensuring that mining communities are protected from all forms of harm.

The statement was jointly signed by Messrs Richard Ellimah, Richard Adjei-Poku and Cornelius Adedze, the Executives of NCOM-Ghana.

“NCOM believes that every Ghanaian deserves to live in a safe and secure environment while going about their duties. “The state has a responsibility to ensure that this is made possible.

Not only should the state be seen to be protecting corporate interests, but it must also ensure that its citizens are well protected from the state security agencies,” it stated.

It condemned the recent killing of 12 citizens and the wounding of many others by state security operatives in separate incidents at the Newmont (NGGL) Ahafo South Gold Mine at Kenyasi in Ahafo and the AngloGold Ashanti mine in Obuasi.

The statement said, “These tragic incidents which have been widely condemned are the latest in the increasing role of state security operatives in violence against citizens in mining communities on behalf of private mining companies”.

“From Ntotroso, Ketu South, Talensi, Ada Songor through to Obuasi, there are harrowing tales of state security being used to brutalise communities on behalf of corporate interest resulting in deaths and the injuring of many”.

It regretted that after a sustained campaign by the NCOM in the 2000s, the state security was withdrawn from mining communities, but recent events revealed a return to the bad practices of the past.

The Coalition said it was very disturbing that under constitutional democracy, state security agencies had been turned into alleged “default security for private mining firms, ready to use lethal force against fellow citizens who trespass into the concessions of multinational mining companies”.

The statement alleged that currently almost all of these mining companies in the country had the military on call, with some either hosting military bases or in the process of constructing one.

It indicated that “AngloGold Ashanti was constructing a military base at Anyankyirem, near Obuasi, at a cost of $6 million,” saying the company had confirmed that this facility was expected to boost the security of residents of Obuasi.

The Coalition argued that it was evident that this military facility would only serve to protect the company’s interests and expressed the belief that relying on the state to provide such security was not right, especially when these agencies ended up brutalising the very citizens whose taxes were used to fund them.

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