Two persons have died and one is in critical condition in a renewed illegal mining (galamsey) siege on the Tano-Anwia forest reserve in the Aowin municipality of the Western region.

JoyNews can confirm that the two groups laid siege in the forest on Wednesday, January 22 engaged in a fight, leading to the death of two and one in critical condition with severe gunshot wounds.

The armed groups led by two known political activists have taken over the biodiversity area and mining illegally since power changed hands, threatening the lives of forestry officials and concessionaires.

Sources on the ground accuse the MP for the area of sponsoring the fresh siege on the forest.

But in an interview with JoyNews, he denied involvement, but confirmed those mining are 'party boys'.

Members of a rapid response team dispatched to stop the illegality were later accosted outside the forest area by the illegal miners on motorbikes, taken to an unknown location and assaulted.

“We destroyed some equipment set up by the illegal miners in the forest as instructed. When we came home, I was accosted by a number of the illegal miners on motorcycles in the town. They forced me to a different location and started interrogating me. They asked why we destroyed their equipment. When I tried to explain, one hit me on the neck with a stick and I fell. Then they picked me up again. Their leader Karim said they should take me to a police station but they didn’t,” one of the forestry guards told our news team.

“When I later saw one of my men blood was dripping from his palm. He told me the illegal miners attacked him whilst in town and wanted him to surrender his weapon but he didn’t and they slashed his palm with a machete".

JoyNews checks revealed they seized the weapons of some of the forest guards.

Sources at the Forestry Commission say forest guards are unable to discharge their duties anymore because of the latest invasion.

Forest reserves affected in the latest wave of invasion include Tano Anwia, Tano Nimri and the Yoo Yoo forests.

Clean Jobs Limited and the Forestry Commission have for the past years been fighting illegal miners who have destroyed large parts of the forest.