The President of the Institute for Security Disaster and Emergency Studies, Dr Ishmael Norman, has criticised the government's decision to deploy river guards and the military to patrol river bodies, calling it "absolutely child’s play."

According to Dr Norman, this move, if not intended to confront and repel the forces behind illegal mining activities, amounts to mere optics meant to deceive Ghanaians into believing that the government is actively fighting galamsey.

Speaking on TopStory on Tuesday, October 8, he argued that despite the government's claims of acknowledging the problem since coming into power, the escalating nature of the issue shows a lack of commitment to genuinely addressing the menace.

"To deploy drones and river guards - the galamseyers are not afraid of publicity of videos of anybody - witnesses, towns, people, chiefs. For a young man to stand there and say before a camera that Akufo-Addo can’t do anything and that they will continue to do galamsey tells you that the little optics that they are trying to show is not going to do anything

• Read also: Galamsey: River guards, navy will be patrolling our river bodies – Lands Minister

Dr Norman questioned the true purpose of deploying the military and river guards to river bodies asking if their mission was merely to patrol and create the impression that action was being taken.

“If they are not there to shoot to kill, if they are not there to cease and capture, if they are not there to repulse to whatever reasonable force that they confront to be able to stop this activity, it is just child’s play, optics to convince Ghanaians that somehow the government is doing something,” he stressed.

His comments followed remarks by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, who revealed that the government would soon roll out significant interventions to combat illegal mining.

Mr Jinapor stated that river guards and the navy would be responsible for patrolling and protecting river bodies, ensuring that illegal miners are prevented from their operations and enforcing environmental laws.

In light of this, Dr Norman suggested that the government should approach the illegal mining issue as if the country is at war, likening galamsey to domestic terrorism.

“The government should tackle the matter as if we are at war, as if we are under attack by terrorist groups because this is equivalent to domestic terrorism,” he said.

Despite this, Dr Norman expressed doubt that the government would adopt such measures, alleging that members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) are involved in the galamsey business.

“A lot of party members are involved in the galamsey business. It finances NPP administration and so they will not stop it,” he noted.