On 18 January 2025, soldiers shot dead at least seven people in Obuasi, the Ashanti Region. The military claims they were part of 60 armed illegal miners, who invaded the premises of AngloGold Ashanti gold mine. By contrast, Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners claims nine people were killed and 14 others severely wounded, and that they were unarmed.
The event highlights growing tensions between local communities and mining companies due to persistent economic crisis and a lack of jobs. Higher gold prices and a lack of alternative opportunities have resulted in an increase in illegal gold mining (also called galamsey in Ghana) and incursions on large-scale gold mines over the past year. The proliferation of galamsey has exacerbated pollution of waterbodies and deforestation, triggering protests in October 2024 with protestors demanding the end of illegal mining practices.
The issue primarily concerns the mining sector, although due to the environmental damage galamsey causes, it has implications for the wider society as well. President John Mahama’s administration, which came to power in January 2025, has pledged to crackdown on illegal gold mining, particularly in forest reserves and on cocoa farms. Greater government scrutiny of illegal gold mining is likely to exacerbate tensions between illegal miners on one side and the mining companies and security forces on the other side, increasing the risk of deadly clashes on mining sites.