Accra, May 4, GNA - The National Coalition on Mining (NCOM) on Thursday accused mining companies of perpetuating various acts of violence against members of the communities where they operated and urged them to respect the rights of the local people.

The Coalition, therefore, called on the State to carry out public investigations into cases of violence against communities in mining areas and ensure that the Military stayed off in policing mining projects.

Launching a campaign on "Stop the Violence In Mining" in Accra, the Coalition expressed worry over such negative acts, citing numerous instances where people in mining areas at Obuasi, Tarkwa, Prestea, Teberebie, Bibiani and Kenyasi had suffered systematic violence. Representatives of various organisations that make up the Coalition which include the Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM); Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC); Abantu for Development; Civic Response; Friends of the Earth-Ghana; Third World Network and Green Earth Organisation attended the launch.

Victims of such violence from the affected communities were also at the launch where they recounted their ordeals and appealed to the State to intervene on their behalf to ensure that such acts ceased. Ms Gifty Dzah, Spokesperson of the Coalition, said over the past two decades the mining industry and State agencies had used violence against citizens and communities on the fringes of mining projects in order to protect mining interest.

"Many of these acts of violence have resulted in loss of property, severe injuries and even death of innocent community members, whose only crime is by default to have settled on gold/mineral bearing land. The relationship between communities on the one hand and mining companies and the State on the other hand has been inherently disruptive," Ms Dzah said.

She accused State agencies of colluding with mining companies in setting the conditions for violence in order to suppress and diminish the interest and concerns of local communities. Ms Dzah said despite the long history of mining in Ghana and the gold boom over 20 years ago, the country had not as yet translated the wealth of mining into building the productive capacity of local communities.

"The mining industry contributes only five per cent to GDP and about 12 per cent to national revenue. The large scale industry directly employs only 18,000 people and yet there is escalating environmental and social cost.."

The victims recounted several cases of unleashing of guard dogs on farmers and small-scale mining operators and the beating up of suspects to death. They said the Military and Police acting on behalf of mining companies often shot at farmers wounding or killing them. Farmers lost their farms with little or no compensation while others were barred from using their original route to their farms and made to use longer alternative routes.