The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has issued a forceful appeal to President John Mahama to immediately declare a state of emergency in regions devastated by illegal mining, citing the poisoning of water bodies and destruction of forest reserves as a national security crisis.
In a statement dated Monday, September 15, and signed by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, the conference expressed deep alarm over the galamsey menace, describing it as a “cancer in the national soul” that requires extraordinary government intervention.
The demand comes in response to President Mahama’s recent reluctance to declare a state of emergency during his September 10 Presidential Media Encounter, which the bishops characterized as “profoundly troubling” and inadequate given the scale of the crisis.
“The hour is late. Delay is betrayal. Now, not tomorrow, not later, is the time to act,” the statement read. “We therefore urge the President and his government to declare, without hesitation, a state of emergency in the most affected mining zones and around endangered water bodies.”
The bishops argued that such a declaration would enable critical measures including curfews in volatile areas, securing of devastated lands, dismantling of criminal syndicates, and addressing corrupt administrative complicities.
They specifically highlighted the involvement of politicians, MPs, municipal officials, chiefs, religious figures, and security personnel in illegal mining operations, condemning this “betrayal of trust” that “cuts to the very marrow of our national identity.”
While acknowledging that a state of emergency alone wouldn’t solve the problem, the conference emphasized the need for a comprehensive national strategy led by bold presidential action to safeguard Ghana’s environment and future.
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Source:Lovinghananews.com
