There is an uneasy calm in the Tontokrom community in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti region following the death of three in a clash between the youth of the area and security men protecting a mining concession.
A resident was allegedly shot dead during a confrontation with the private security operatives on Saturday, March 2.
This infuriated the youth who launched a reprisal attack and lynched two of the alleged attackers.
Giving more details, a resident said; “We saw two branded Asanko Mines vehicles and four non-branded ones occupied by machomen in the community. Some of the youth went closer to the vehicles to hoot at the occupants and before we realized the machomen had started firing gunshots. One person was hit by a stray bullet and died on the spot.
“We were left with no choice but to also attack them. The vehicles sped off but two machomen fell on the ground. They were lynched”.
The altercation comes on the back of long-standing tensions between Tontokrom residents and Asanko Gold Mines over the latter’s concession security measures.
For years, the local youth, driven by rampant unemployment, have turned to illegal mining activities, which have encroached on some fringes of Asanko’s legitimate lands.
However, allegations of excessive force by military personnel and hired security to repel these incursions have worsened the situation.
Subsequently, the residents on Friday, March 1, 2024, staged a protest to demand the establishment of a Community Mining Scheme to end the banter.
The confrontation on Saturday, however, turned bloody between the residents and the private security personnel of Asanko Mines.
The bodies have since been conveyed by the police and deposited at the morgue.
Meanwhile, the District Security Council has scheduled a meeting with community leaders and Asanko Gold to outline measures in resolving the impasse.
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