An Associate Professor and Head of Ashesi University’s Law, Humanities, and Social Sciences Department, Dr Maame Mensa-Bonsu, has criticised the use of drones as a shoot-to-kill approach in the fight against illegal mining, locally known as galamsey.

According to her, while the approach may eliminate many illegal miners, it also risks killing innocent people conducting their own business near these galamsey sites.

“And drones are not people. They can’t say that’s a person we think it’s okay and that’s a person we think it’s not. So they will end up killing a lot of people in the process,” she warned.

Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday, October 19, Dr Mensa-Bonsu emphasised the need for a more pragmatic and sustainable solution to tackle the menace.

• Read also: Shoot and kill illegal miners – Joe Wise re-echoes stance against galamsey

She argued that treating the fight against galamsey as a war, with the army stationed more permanently at mining hotspots, would be more effective in the long run.

“As for the political will, everybody talks about how we lack it, and until the people who are in charge say here is our actual commitment, that anything is going to change, there will be a lot of crooks,” she added. 

Meanwhile, the former Deputy Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, has proposed a more radical approach to the fight against illegal mining.

The MP for Bolgatanga East constituency suggested that a "shoot on sight" policy would be more beneficial to the government's efforts in combating the menace.

Speaking on the show, Dr Ayine explained that drones equipped with assault capabilities could be deployed to target individuals found engaging in illegal mining activities near water bodies.

"I have been discussing with a brother of mine... he has been proposing radically that we should actually send drones with either bullets or bombs with heat detection technology so that if we detect human activity in that area, they should just fire."

"If that is what will save us from this environmental genocide, I will support it," he added.