Tontokrom, a mining community in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region, is once again embroiled in a heated dispute with Asanko Gold Mining Company over land ownership.
The long-standing tension between the residents and the company has escalated, following a recent meeting at the District Assembly which, according to residents, ended with a shocking proposal to evict and relocate the entire town to make way for mining activities.
Residents says that Asanko Gold Mining Company has, over the years, used military force to intimidate them, resulting in deaths and injuries that have left many families in distress.
At a press conference held by the aggrieved residents, the community sent a strong message to the government, warning that they would not move from their ancestral lands under any circumstance.
“The lands belong to us. Asanko has no legitimate documents to prove ownership. We will not move today or tomorrow,” declared Nana Adu Gyamfi Kumanini, the Mmamahene of Tontokrom, who led the community at the press event. “We have never entered into any agreement with Asanko Mining Company, and we will never allow the military to be used to intimidate us on our own land.”
Youth in the community also expressed their frustrations, calling for government intervention and warning of possible resistance if military forces continue to be used against them.
Kwadwo Addo, a youth leader, said, “We don’t need military presence in our town. Anytime they come, they brutalise and kill our people. We are pleading with the government to step in, or else we will face them squarely.”
Another resident, Sofo Maame, recounted a disturbing incident from last year. “Last year, the military came and shot at people in the community. Some even died, all to scare us off our own lands. This time around, we will retaliate.”
The residents are calling on President John Dramani Mahama, the Ashanti Regional Minister, and the Minister for Defense and Interior to urgently intervene before the situation turns volatile.
They insist that they will not be displaced from their community and are prepared to defend their lands at all costs.
