Signs of Renewed Tension in Bawku West

There is a renewed tension between the locals and land owners at the Zangbeyire area in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region and a mining company called the “Rich Power Mining Ghana Limited” over a mining concession. 

It would be recalled that in the year 2014 the locals and landowners accused the management of the mining Company for not following the due processes of the community entry and sensitization procedures as required by the Mining laws before carrying out their mining activities in the area. 

The situation at that time led to communal clashes between various sub-community groups and the staff of the company resulting into the burning of some equipment belonging to the mining Company and the subsequent arrest of some of the locals including 90 years old, optically and physically impaired old women and men, pregnant women and school children. 

Speaking to GBConline, the local and land owners indicated that they have picked signals that some government authorities and traditional rulers in the area have gone into a deal with the Rich Power Mining Ghana Limited to return to work in the community. 

The group stated that, a their letter dated 18^th July 2018, with the subject matter “NOTICE OF RE-ENTRY OF RICH POWER MINING COMPANY LIMITED TO ZANGBEYIRE “and addressed to the Upper East Regional Minister, it is clear that the stage is set for the conflict of Zangbeyire area”. 

The local and land owners who noted that  those community members who  were arrested during the clashes in 2014 were manhandled and    brutalized and some thrown into the Bawku Prison, said they would resist any attempt made by   any authority or traditional rulers to allow the same Rich Power Mining Ghana Limited to return to the community to resume work. 

Meanwhile  in a press release issued and signed by the community members including community leaders, youth leaders, women leaders, Tingdanas, sub chiefs, landowners and opinion leaders, they stressed that their  lands were  properly invested in their  family clans and kept in custody by what they termed as “Tingdanas” and not in the custody of  traditional authorities. 

According to the group,  the Zangbeyire  area is not only  endowed with   rich natural resources  including  gold , but also  has a major potential in the area  of  agriculture of which  99 per cent of the people being   agrarian. 

The over two hundred local people and land owners of the Zangbeyire who signed the Press Release. 

Rich Power Mining Ghana Limited, an associate of the Shaanxi Mining Ghana Limited which is a Chinese Mining Company, moved to the area in 2013 after securing a license to do prospecting in the area,within thirty-eight thousand, nine hundred and nineteen (38, 919) acres.

Story By Gbc’s Emmanuel Akayeti

Akayeti16@gmail.com