AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi mine has in a Press Statement stated that, the company will still abide by the relocation plan given them by the Minerals Commission.
According to them,the directive given to the illegal miners to vacate the Operational sites of AGAG by Monday,10th October,2016 still holds even though the deadline elapsed
Below s the full statement.
AngloGold Ashanti (Ghana) Limited
Registered Office: Gold House \ Patrice Lumumba Road \ Accra \ Ghana
Postal Address: Gold House \ Patrice Lumumba Road \ P. O. Box 2665 \
Accra \ Ghana
Tel: + 233 302 743400 \ 743401 \ Fax + 233 302 778155
Website: www.AngloGoldAshanti.com Press Statement
ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI GHANA LIMITED UPDATES ON DIRECTIVE TO RESTORE LAW AND ORDER IN OBUASI
Accra, 24 October 2016 – AngloGold Ashanti Ghana (AGAG) wishes to provide clarity regarding the
current security situation at Obuasi mine. Notably, the company would like to make clear that areas of
the concession vacated by illegal miners in recent days are to remain secured and free of any illegal
mining activity, under the directive from the Minerals Commission.
The directive to clear the site of illegal mining by 10 October was given by the Minerals Commission
which, along with a multi-stakeholder committee it established, has prepared an alternative site
nearby for the miners to relocate to. Even though the original deadline for a cessation of this
unauthorized mining activity had passed, The Minerals Commission continues to work with key
stakeholders to move the illegal miners from the remaining parts of the concession, whilst ensuring
areas already secured are not reoccupied.
On Tuesday, 18 October, the Security Task Force took the first steps to restore safety and security to
the Obuasi concession, which was invaded by illegal miners in February 2016 . Their activities started
with the fenced, operational areas of the mine and, once secured will move to other parts of the
concession.
Following an absence of almost nine months, the return of the security contingent to the mine o n
Wednesday, 18 October, led to a number of protests in Obuasi. This prompted the Municipal Security
Council to issue a ‘roadmap’ which extended the relocation period up to 10 November 2016.
The Minerals Commission subsequently amended the roadmap indicating that areas within the AGAG
Mining lease which had been secured by the security agencies should remain secured – and
therefore free of illegal mining activity — while the “unauthorized miners” in those areas were relocated
in accordance with the road map developed.
AGAG continues to work closely with the Minerals Commission, while urging authorities (including
MUSEC, the Security Agencies, the Minerals Commission and all relevant stakeholders) to restore
law and order peacefully, as they did during the limited deployment in late July when they cleared the
Sansu Lizard Face and Wawase areas.
Unless and until the company’s concession areas are fully cleared of illegal miners and the company
can assess the damage caused over the past eight months, the company remains subject to a state
of force majeure, as declared in February 2016 at the outset of the crisis.
For more background on Obuasi and recent security updates, please see www.futureofobuasi.com