ACCRA – Ghana’s Catholic Bishops Conference has warned President John Dramani Mahama that his credibility hinges on how he tackles the country’s illegal mining crisis.
They are urging him to move beyond rhetoric and act decisively to protect communities, rivers and farmlands.
In a statement issued on Friday during a high-level engagement on illegal mining in Accra, the Bishops said the government must show “courage and moral clarity” in prosecuting those behind the destructive practice known locally as galamsey.
“The evidence is stark: mercury and arsenic levels in some communities exceed safe limits by hundreds of times. Rivers, soils and crops are contaminated; children are already bearing the scars of toxic exposure,” the Bishops said. “Your credibility is now as important as policy. Our people must see that no one is above the law.”
The Catholic Church called for the prosecution of illegal mining kingpins, the creation of fast-track courts, and protection for communities and traditional leaders resisting galamsey. It also demanded clear benchmarks that could trigger a state of emergency, and measurable targets for security services and local authorities.
Mahama met civil society groups earlier on Friday, promising stricter enforcement and stronger collaboration with traditional leaders, but he has resisted declaring a state of emergency despite mounting pressure.
The Bishops said the Church was ready to support government efforts through its schools, hospitals and parishes by raising awareness and mobilising communities. But they cautioned that delays risked complicity in what they described as “an ecocidal tragedy of monumental proportions.”
“History will not measure your leadership by words alone, but by the protection you secure for generations yet unborn,” the statement said.
Source: asaaseradio.com
