Three killed, 13 injured in clash during anti-illegal-mining operation in Ghana's Manso Keniago

At least three people were killed and 13 injured in Manso Keniago, in the Amansie Central District of Ghana's Ashanti Region, at about 1 p.m. on Wednesday (November 11), when officers of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) clashed with community members and suspected illegal miners while moving seized excavators out of the area. The injured are receiving treatment at the Agoroyesum Government Hospital, where the bodies of the dead have been deposited in the morgue.

Chief blocked road with his car; stones thrown before shots fired

According to Kumasi Mail, NAIMOS officers had been operating in the Manso area this week as part of a campaign against illegal mining, known locally as galamsey, seizing several excavators and changfang machines. On Wednesday afternoon, officers began moving the excavators through the community, reportedly without low-bed trailers, damaging an asphalted road. The chief of Manso Keniago, Nana Obeng Mensah II, used his private vehicle to block the route; some residents then pelted the officers with stones, and armed security personnel accompanying the operation opened fire. Graphic Online reported that by 6 p.m. the confirmed death toll had risen to three.

Two officers shot; responsibility for the shooting unclear

NAIMOS said in a statement that two of its officers were shot during the operation. Ghanaian media report that the circumstances surrounding the shooting, including who fired first and who bears responsibility, remain unclear; police have not said whether anyone has been arrested or an investigation opened. The local chief was reported to be in hiding after the incident. JoyNews television has interviewed the NAIMOS spokesperson live on the incident; the video is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD8TqGMpO18 .

Sources: Kumasi Mail; Ghana Guardian; Graphic Online; NAIMOS statement (via Ghextractives). Figures are as reported by Ghanaian media; the incident is still developing.