The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has refuted the allegations in a documentary aired on Joy News on 26 September 2022 that military personnel are providing security for a mining firm in a forest reserve.
A press release issued by GAF and signed by the Director of Public Relations, Naval Captain MA Larbi, said GAF has monitored with deep concern, a misleading report and excerpt from a video with some recycled content of past unsubstantiated allegations.
It said in the aforementioned video, Mentiahene of Bekwai, Nana Kusi Frempong Kotobre, alleged that military personnel were providing security for an illegal mining firm operating in the Kobro Forest in Amansie Central.
The statement said following reports of the presence of some security persons in uniform within the Aprampramah Forest and Kobro Forest Reserve stretch in Amansie Central, a patrol team from 4 Infantry Battalion and the Central Command Headquarters in Kumasi, conducted an operation in the area on 28 September 2022.
The military patrol team picked up some individuals dressed in US military-pattern camouflage uniforms working for a private security firm, which has been contracted by a registered small-scale mining company named Elvis and Co Mining Ltd.
The statement said the private security guards should not be misconstrued as GAF personnel because their camouflage pattern uniforms are even totally distinct from GAF.
“In respect of the unauthorized use of military pattern uniforms by private security firms and individuals, it would be recalled that a few months back personnel of the 4 Infantry Battalion rounded up some members of a District Assembly Taskforce wearing different shades of military camouflage uniforms, captured in a viral video manhandling some civilians in the Kwabre South District.
“Considering that they were dressed in military pattern camouflage uniforms, they were wrongly perceived to be GAF personnel thereby drawing GAF into disrepute. Aside from this, GAF has also picked up several impersonators in recent times and handed them over to the Police for prosecution,” the statement indicated.
GAF assured the public that it does not condone any such acts of personnel engaging in illegal and unauthorized activities, especially illegal mining and pledged not to shield any soldier engaged in any illegal, unauthorized or criminal activity either in military uniform or not.
The statement said GAF is at the forefront against illegal mining and remains resolute and would, therefore, not countenance any conduct that would derail the progress being made.
It noted that GAF has revamped Operation Halt II to curb the destruction of the forest reserves and pollution of the river bodies, citing the recent reports of the numerous arrests, excavators seized and immobilized, and other equipment destroyed, which attests to this renewed and sustained effort.
Dzifa Hukporti, ISD