Obuasi clashes: ‘Things could get worse if not properly handled’ – Prof. Kwasi Aning Warns.
Security Expert and Director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Professor Kwesi Aning has warned that the current clash between the military and some illegal miners in Obuasi could spread nationwide if not properly managed.
According Professor Aning, tensions between illegal miners and security personnel in the mining community could be said to have been brewing for a long time and needed just a minor trigger to set things off.
Sharing his expert opinion on the issue during a phone-in session on Joy FM, the security expert explained that he is not surprised by the development as the tensions were already nearing a tipping point.
“What we need to get to grips with relates to the tipping point, these tensions have been brewing on and off, but what is it that really tipped the balance, there are underlying factors but what we really need to identify is the trigger.
“This is a dramatic escalation that needs to be understood and hopefully nipped in the bud; we can expect things to happen, but we’re almost always never sure what the tipping event is, so what was that time back that led these people to arm themselves, seeking to enter a particular group’s pit and then the confrontation leading to this dramatic escalation”, he explained.
Prof Aning highlighted that looking at the numbers of people who are directly involved in galamsey and those who are dependent on “galamseyers” by providing other forms of support infrastructure, things could escalate unimaginably if mishandled.
“Dependent on how this is handled, this may spread elsewhere, because we are looking at least at a million Ghanaians who are directly involved in galamsey, and about another three to four million dependent on galamseyers by providing other types of support infrastructure, so the way we handle this Ashanti Gold Fields crisis is very key”, he added.
The Security Expert commended President Mahama’s swift response to the crisis in seeking to get to the bottom of the development and punishing those responsible to serve as a deterrent.
He concluded by urging a swift and proper containment of the development, highlighting that Ghana’s reputation is on the line as the international community is watching.
“It has damaged our reputation internationally, quite a number of foreign news reports have been made about this particular incident”, he concluded.
By: Novire Kuuyizie Francis.
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