JoyNews’ Erastus Asare Donkor and crew attacked by armed men at mining site in Ashanti Region

Three staff of the Multimedia Group Limited including Erastus Asare Donkor have been attacked by armed men who claim to be working for Edelmetallum Resources Limited, a mining site at Asumenya close to Manso Nkran in the Ashanti region.

Over ten heavily built men armed with pump action guns attacked them, and forcibly drove them to a location before subjecting them to severe beatings and abandoning them.

Portions of the newly restored Asenanyo Forest Reserve have recently seen another spate of destruction.

Streams joining the Ankobra River have also been polluted. An official complaint has been lodged at the Manso Edubia police station to investigate the incident and act accordingly.

Erastus Asare Donkor is an award-winning journalist known for his activism against illegal mining and all forms of environmental degradation.

He's received several accolades for his efforts to protect the environment.

In recent times, the government appears to have renewed the fight against illegal mining particularly on water bodies, as it has deployed the once dormant 'Operation Halt' back to the field to protect water bodies.

So far, the over 100 soldiers dispatched have destroyed several mining equipment and have caused some arrests, although observers believe this approach which was once employed may not effectively address the illegal mining menace.

Source: Myjoyonline