The Ghana national association of small-scale miners have issued a three-day ultimatum to government to allow them to return to their mining pits or face their anger.

Civil society organizations and the media have joined government to launch a series of campaigns against illegal mining causing havoc to Ghana’s water bodies and vegetation cover…

But speaking in a press conference in Kumasi on Thursday, Chairman of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners, Frank Osei said that his membership is dissatisfied those operating with requisite licence have been boxed together with the illegal miners creating the impression that both operations fall under the lable of galamsey.

“Those who abide by the constitution, we the small-scale miners, we who have licenses and have gone through proper procedures to secure mining licenses to work, we are wrongly accused because the statement by His Excellency and his government has brought a lot of confusion to the media, to Ghanaians and to the sector.”

They also condemned the recent attack and burning of excavators belonging to small-scale miners in parts of the country by irate members of society.

Extending a call to the president, Mr Osei insisted, “if his Excellency Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo Addo is against illegal mining, then we give him three days to come out and set the records straight that we small scale miners with proper documentation can go back to work and save us from the hands of attackers.”

This will not be the first time similar calls have been made to the president as the mandatory halt of all illegal and small-scale mining in the country for proper regulation continues to bite harder.