Soldiers to remain in nine forest reserves cleared of galamsey - Prez Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has said soldiers will remain stationed in forest reserves cleared of illegal mining to prevent operators from returning to the sites.

The nine reserves had been classified as red zones because of extensive destruction and the presence of heavily armed illegal miners.

“We have now cleared all nine of those red zones. There are no galamsey operators in those forest reserves, and we have stationed soldiers there to ensure that the illegal miners do not return. The soldiers will remain in those areas,” he said.

The President made the remarks during a courtesy call by chiefs from the Western North Region, where he called for stronger collaboration with traditional authorities to sustain the fight against illegal mining.

Why soldiers will stay

President Mahama said previous attempts to clear some forest reserves had failed because illegal miners returned shortly after soldiers withdrew and forest guards resumed responsibility for protecting the areas.

“Whenever forest guards went there, they were fired upon, and some lost their lives,” he said.

He urged the chiefs to support the government’s efforts, particularly in communities where young people and some traditional authorities had resisted operations by the National Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Illegal Mining (NAIMOS). Traditional authorities, he said, were better positioned to address the local factors sustaining illegal mining because they lived among the people.

The President also expressed concern about incidents in which soldiers had discharged firearms during enforcement operations, resulting in deaths.

Reclamation and water bodies

President Mahama said GoldBod had begun engaging the military in a programme to reclaim destroyed forest areas and replant them with economic trees. Bulldozers would level the degraded land, while the Forestry Commission would collaborate on reforestation.

He also announced that the Finance Minister had provided GH¢400 million in the 2027 Budget to recruit additional Blue Water Guards to patrol water bodies. The guards, he said, had been instructed to destroy changfang machines whenever they encountered them.

Several machines had already been destroyed, clearing many major river channels, he said. However, illegal mining in tributaries continued to contribute mud and silt to the rivers.