Iron Ore Mining In Oti Region: A Time Bomb Waiting To Explode

The People’s Liberation Council (PLC) of Western Togoland has been keenly following issues relating to the move by the government of Ghana to allow for the mining of IRON ORE in parts of Western Togoland territory, the so called Oti region.

We are privy to a news item recently carried by the Joy News channel in which the Ghana Integrated Iron Ore and Steel Development Corporation (GIISDEC) led a team from one of the mining companies, Seven Star Group to press upon the Chiefs and People of the enclave to support the move which we are of the conviction is “a time bomb waiting to explode” if the government does not rescind the decision.

In the said news item, we see a focal person from the GIISDEC explaining to the visibly worried people that the mining of the mineral does not pose any threats to the people of the enclave in the matter of pollution and degradation of the environment.

That explanation we think is propagandist and a clever scheme to throw dust in the eyes of the people because the after effects of any form of mining, be it gold or iron ore has dire consequences for any environment and livelihoods of the people of any area where mining is carried out.

The focal person was seen and heard telling the poor elders of the area that the company was in the area to continue with their exploration and studies.

For how long and how many times would the mining companies continue to carry out exploration and studies. This is really ridiculous!

We noticed with grave concern one elder of the area bemoaning the destructive ramifications of mining and strongly support our people on their concerns.

In the first place the UN charter on trust territories forbids the exploration and mining of any minerals in the territories demarcated as “Trust Territories” and so we want to stress the fact that it is illegal for Ghana to embark on any such mining in the territory in the first place, let alone impressing upon the people to support the dastardly move.

Parts of Article (8) of the charter on UN Trust Territories states that: “In framing laws relating to the holding or transfer of land and natural resources, the administering authority (Britain/Ghana) shall take into consideration native laws and customs and shall respect the rights and interests both PRESENT and FUTURE of the native population. No native land or natural resources may be TRANSFERRED except between natives, save with the previous consent of the competent public authority. No real rights over native land or natural resources in favour of non-natives may be created except with the same consent.”

The above article should reveal to any discerning mind that the move by government to bring in foreign nationals hiding behind so called mining companies is a travesty of the charter and and an infringement on the native rights of the people of Oti which by law and the UN charter still remains Western Togoland territory.

The government of Ghana is well aware of this provision in the charter which protects the rights of the people of the trust territory to the ownership of their natural resources.

The big question is whether the people of the enclave have given their full consent to the mining of the mineral in the area? and the answer is a very big NO.

Much as the people are resisting any attempt to mine the mineral in the enclave citing degradation to their land and natural environment and the deprivation of their livelihoods, the government of Ghana should immediately backtrack on the move as it will result in mayhem and anarchy in the long run.

The people of that enclave have served warning that they do not want any mining activities in their area. What more does the government want to listen to? It is either that this government is deaf to reason or does not care about the effects of the mining on the lives of the present population or the future generations in that enclave to warrant this diabolic move aimed at stealing the mineral deposits which are the bonafide inheritance of the people of Western Togoland.

The PLC is therefore serving warning to the government and any mining company scheming to rob the people of their livelihoods and natural resources that we support the concerns and fears of our brothers and sisters in Oti to the effect that the enclave should be left in peace and the the UN charter restricting and banning such activities in the trust territory be respected to the letter.

Any mining company being lured to that enclave by the government of Ghana to steal the natural resources of the people should advise themselves in their own interest otherwise they have themselves to blame.

We are well aware that the people have recently formed an ANTI IRON ORE MINING COMMITTEE to counter the proposed mining in the area and we salute them for that bold move.

What is frightening to us is the careless abandon of reason and common sense on the part of the government of Ghana to play ostrich with the good people of Oti and to continue with this move without recourse to the ramifications therein.

We at the PLC are privy to resistance movements which are being formed to resist this insensitive move by the government.

Our fear however is that should the government refuse to listen to the concerns of the people and rescind the decision to mine the mineral in the area, the result will be anarchy and the shedding of innocent blood as the people especially the youth of the area are ready to resist any attempt be it now or in the future to embark on the destruction of their land to the last drop of their blood. We want to strongly emphasize without any equivocation that the issue of mining Iron Ore in the Oti region which is a Western Togoland Territory is a TIME BOMB WAITING TO EXPLODE and the earlier the government of Ghana and it’s cronies put a stop to this devilish plan and scheme against the people, the better.

A word to the wise they say is enough.

By People’s Liberation Council (PLC)Communications bureau.

www.plcwtl.org