AGC denies human rights violations

Accra, Aug. 1, GNA - Ashanti Goldfields Limited, Ghana's premier gold mining company, on Friday denied allegations of human rights abuses, saying they were gross misrepresentation and distortion of facts targeted to tarnish its corporate image.

The accusations contained in a report authored by the Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM) accused AGC of varying degrees of human rights violations, including using guard dogs to attack small-scale miners and murder.

AGC said the report lacked objectivity and was only out to champion the cause of illegal miners as well as justify the illegal mining operations of the Sansu Youth on AGC's Obuasi Mine concessions.

Speaking at a press conference, Mrs Elaine Kwami, General Manager, Human Resource, described as false WACAM's assertion that a combined team of AGC's Mine Security, Police and Military often unleashed various degrees of brutalities on the people of Sansu.

"It should be clearly understood that the so-called illegal mining activities that WACAM seeks to champion are nothing more than organised crime as there is no area on our entire concession, including Obuasi Township, where small-scale mining is permitted," she said.

Touching on specific allegations of the use of guard dogs and murder, Mrs Kwami said dog patrols were introduced in 1997 as a new security measure to keep at bay illegal miners, intruders, thieves and armed robbers, whose activities posed a threat to the life of security guards. Mrs Kwami said bodies were found on the Obuasi mine concessions, but information on the causes of death were at variance with WACAM allegations that they died as a result of severe beatings and dog bites. "Police medical reports did not establish that they died through manhandling, severe beatings, security beatings or dog bites as WACAM seeks to portray," she said, emphasizing that AGC had no hand in such deaths as was alleged in the report.

Mr Kweku Awotwi, Managing Director Public Affairs AGC, said AGC and Police records did not corroborate the several allegations made in the WACAM report.