The Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response Unit (RRU) has arrested 12 people suspected of engaging in illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, inside the Atewa Range Forest Reserve.
The arrests followed a joint covert operation conducted at dawn on Thursday, September 4, 2026, around the Sagyimase community in the Kyebi Forest District.
According to the Joint Operation Report, 17 personnel drawn from the Assin Fosu, Akim Oda and Juaso Forest Districts were deployed at about 1:30 a.m. to clamp down on illegal mining activities within the protected forest.
The operation targeted Compartments 61 and 62 of the Atewa Forest Reserve, where the team encountered a group of suspected illegal miners operating in the area.
Twelve suspects were subsequently arrested and are expected to face the appropriate legal processes.
The operation is part of the Forestry Commission’s efforts to protect the Atewa Range Forest Reserve from illegal mining and other activities that threaten the integrity of the forest ecosystem.
The Atewa Range Forest Reserve is an important ecological area and has been at the centre of national efforts to protect Ghana’s remaining forest resources from illegal mining and other forms of encroachment.
The Forestry Commission has intensified monitoring and enforcement operations in forest reserves as authorities step up efforts to tackle illegal mining in environmentally sensitive areas.
By Peter Quao Adattor/paqmediagh
