Some illegal miners (galamsey operators) have reportedly been engaging in deals with violent extremist groups operating from Burkina Faso.

These illegal miners are allegedly trading gold from their illicit activities in exchange for guns from these extremists in mining communities within the Bawku West and Talensi districts of the Upper East Region.

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According to the Northern Ghana CSOs Platform on Natural Resources, illegal miners, after trading their gold for guns, use the weapons to protect their unlawful operations in the region, raising concerns about insecurity and cross-border criminal activities, graphic.com.gh reports.

The trade which is said to have been in existence since 2024, is reportedly taking place in mining areas such as Teshie, Widnaba, Zongoyire, Tilli, and Sapeliga in the Bawku West District, as well as Gbane and Datuku in the Talensi District.

The development was brought to light by Civil Society Organisations during a stakeholders’ capacity-building workshop in Tamale, where the Executive Director of SWIDA Ghana, an NGO, Alima Sagito Saeed, highlighted the imminent dangers the incident could pose to the country’s security.

“This phenomenon, from our sources, involves some Burkinabe Community Defence Group members, who run into Ghana with guns where they exchange them for gold from local miners and concessioners,” she is quoted as saying by graphic.com.gh.

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The report added that its findings in the Upper East Region disclosed that some of the weapons retrieved by security operatives during a recent operation were found to bear Burkina Faso registration numbers, confirming cross-border smuggling.

MAG/AE

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