The soldiers apprehended them while they were actively engaged in mining and imposed disciplinary actions as punishment for their involvement in illegal mining activities.
The footage also shows the soldiers subjecting a group of these miners to multiple rounds of caning on their backs as part of their punishment.
Operation Halt is a Ghanaian military task force established to combat illegal small-scale mining, known locally as galamsey. The group comprises personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Police Service, and other security agencies, all working together to enforce a government crackdown on illegal mining, which has had severe environmental impacts, particularly on water bodies and farmlands. Tasked with seizing equipment and dismantling illegal mining sites, Operation Halt aims to address the environmental degradation and pollution resulting from galamsey activities, which pose risks to public health and Ghana's ecosystem.
In a related development in the fight against galamsey, a Togolese national, Shaibu Yaw, was sentenced to eighteen years’ imprisonment with hard labour by the Koforidua Circuit Court A for illegal mining activities in Akyem Mouso, located in the Atewa West District of the Eastern Region. Shaibu was convicted after being apprehended during a campaign against illegal mining, a growing problem in Ghana’s battle against environmental harm caused by galamsey activities.
Presiding over the case, High Court Judge Her Lordship Abigail Animah Asare, serving in her capacity as a circuit court judge, found Shaibu guilty of conspiracy to engage in unlawful mining and mining without a valid licence. He was sentenced to prison and fined 10,000 penalty units for both offences.
Given the opportunity to address the court before sentencing, Shaibu pleaded for permission to return to his native Togo, promising never to return to Ghana to engage in illegal mining. The court clarified that, although he had the right to appeal, a severe sentence was warranted due to the gravity of the offence and its extensive impact on the environment.