The head of the Media Coalition against the galamsey says the fight against illegal mining is a long drawn war, not a battle.

According to Ken Ashigbey, while the country may have won some battles in the fight against illegal mining, it is far from winning the war against the canker.

The media coalition head said this when the team called on the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

Ashigbey cautioned against the possible politicization of the fight against illegal mining popularly called galamsey mining in the country.

The caution comes in a wake of a partisan fight triggered by a remark by ex-president John Mahama against the current government’s fight against illegal mining.

The ex-Ghanaian leader said the use of military force to keep illegal miners away from the sites was not going to work because he had employed similar strategies in the past but was not successful.

He would rather alternative livelihood activities are provided for the illegal miners as the country increases the fight against galamsey.

His comments have not gone down well with spokespersons of the ruling government some of whom have described the ex-president's comment as disingenuous.

The Natural Resources minister John Peter Amewu described the ex-president as a “conman” who was trying to whip up sentiments against a government that has shown enough commitment in the fight against galamsey.

He said the ex-president did little or nothing at all in the fight against illegal mining which was at its peak during the tenure of Mr Mahama.

But Ken Ashigbey insists if the war against galamsey will be won, the increasing politicization of the issue must be curtailed.

“It is a war not a battle. We have won some of the battles and lost some of them but the trajectory is good.

“One of the things I would say that this is not a partisan war and we need to cut it out,” he said.

He added whether one is with the New Patriotic Party, National Democratic Congress, or Convention People’s Party, the destruction of the environment as a result of the galamsey will affect all.

He would rather a concerted approach is used in the fight against illegal mining.

The Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Barbera Oteng Gyesi said the Ministry is committed to the fight against illegal mining.

According to her, her ministry will soon be sending a recommendation to the president to lift the ban on small-scale mining.