Challenging Heights, a non-governmental organization in Ghana, has condemned the clashes in Obuasi, where soldiers on duty killed 8 people at AngloGold Ashanti.

In a statement, Challenging Heights Advocacy Officer Emmanuel Annobil said the incident was unfortunate and should have been avoided at all costs.

According to him, the victims have been characterized as thugs or illegal miners, even though no investigations have been conducted into the occurrence. This, he said, is disappointing to the organization.

He asserts that these are issues of human and environmental rights and that thorough investigations are necessary to ensure that all sides are heard.

Read the full statement below:

Challenging Heights condemns in no uncertain terms the clashes between the military at the premises of AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi mines and some members of the Obuasi community. The loss of eight lives and the injuries caused as a result of the clashes is unfortunate, and should have been prevented at all cost.

We are disappointed that the victims of this regrettable incidence have quickly been labeled as thugs or illegal miners, when no investigation or report has established same. These are matters of human and environmental rights that require that the side of the local people are listened.

It is obvious to us, that, mining is fast becoming a national security threat. Clashes of this nature have been a regular news in our recent history.

Members of mining communities across the country continue to be impoverish as human right abuses of the local people in these areas persist. While we acknowledge that the mining companies are permitted in law to undertake their operations, it is also incumbent for them to respect the rights of the local people and their environment.

We support the call made by the government of Ghana for AngloGold Ashanti to foot the medical bills of those injured, and for the burials of those who died. The president’s call for investigation into the clashes is commendable.

However, we are calling for a commission of inquiry into the military clashes with the members of the Obuasi community. We believe that asking one security agency to probe into the actions of another security agency may not engender confidence in the report.

Therefore, while the police are carrying out their criminal investigations as by their mandate, a commission of inquiry which is more open and transparent will be able to come out with a report that address all aspects of the incident.

Challenging Heights is a Ghanaian human and environmental rights organization that has been working in Ghana in the past 20 years.

Emmanuel Annobil
(Advocacy Officer)
0201330190