The Concerned Citizens of Atewa Landscape (CCAL) and environmental non-governmental organisation A Rocha Ghana have jointly condemned the state's reactive approach to illegal mining following a violent confrontation at Kyebi in the Eastern Region.

The incident, which occurred on Saturday, July 11, 2026, resulted in the shooting of a young man during a clash between a joint state security team and illegal miners (galamseyers).

In a joint press statement issued on Monday, July 13, 2026, the two bodies described the shooting as deeply regrettable and a direct consequence of long-term state inaction against mining impunity.

The statement, jointly signed by the President of CCAL, Paul Asumadu, and the Deputy Director of A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu, strongly rebuked the illegal miners for attempting to obstruct state security personnel from performing their lawful duties.

They attributed the growing defiance of galamsey operators to a "dangerous sense of entitlement" fostered by the persistent failure of regulatory and municipal authorities to enforce mining laws uniformly.

While the groups maintained that the miners' grievances over selective law enforcement did not justify violence, they urged the government to investigate the underlying claims of favouritism within the sector.

The civil society organisations highlighted the severe ecological toll that uncheckered mining operations continue to inflict on the enclave. Years of lax enforcement have led to the systematic destruction of farmlands and critical forest reserves, most notably the Atewa Forest Range.

Furthermore, major river bodies including the Birim, Ayensu, and Densu—which serve as primary sources of portable drinking water for millions of citizens upstream and downstream—remain heavily polluted by the activities of illegal miners.

The groups criticised the government's dependency on "knee-jerk" operations, asserting that the state had relegated its campaign promises against galamsey to the background while allowing lawlessness to fester.

Four-point demand

To avert future bloodspill and halt the ecological drift, CCAL and A Rocha Ghana have tabled four immediate demands before the executive:

• Investigate the shooting: The immediate deployment of state intelligence agencies to identify and investigate the security officer responsible for shooting the young man during the Kyebi standoff.
• Prosecute financiers: The tracking, apprehension, and swift prosecution of individuals and financiers backing illegal mining in the Kyebi area under the strict provisions of the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 995).
• Halt forest and river mining: An immediate and absolute cessation of all active illegal mining operations inside the Atewa Forest and along the banks of the Birim, Densu, and Ayensu rivers.
• Prioritise the Eastern Region: A targeted administrative focus on the Eastern Region, which remains a volatile hotspot for illegal mining, using proactive containment strategies rather than reactive raids.

The statement concluded with a call on the government to translate its environmental rhetoric into verifiable operational outcomes to safeguard national resources and protect civilian lives.