Some community members and land owners told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that they had picked signals that some government authorities and traditional rulers in the area had gone into a deal with the mining Company to return to work in the community.

“With the renewed efforts of some traditional rulers of the area including; the overlord to get the mining company back to the community evidenced by their letter dated 18th July 2018, with the subject matter “NOTICE OF RE-ENTRY OF RICH POWER MINING COMPANY LIMITED TO ZANGBEYIRE “and addressed to the Upper East Regional Minister, it is clear that the stage was set for conflict in the Zangbeyire area”. The group stated.

The land owners noted that some community members were arrested during the clashes in 2014, manhandled and brutalized, while others were thrown into the Bawku Prison, and said they would resist any attempt made by any authority or traditional rulers to allow the same Rich Power Mining Ghana Limited to return to the community to resume work.

Rich Power Mining Ghana Limited, an associate of the Shaanxi Mining Ghana Limited which is a Chinese Mining Company, moved to the area in 2013 after securing a license to do prospecting within 38, 919 acres.

It would be recalled that in 2014 the community members and landowners accused the management of the Mining Company for not following due processes for entry into the community and following sensitisation procedures as required by the Mining laws before carrying out their mining activities in the area.

The situation at that time led to communal clashes between various sub-community groups and the staff of the company, resulting into the burning of some equipment belonging to the Mining Company and the subsequent arrest of some of the locals including; 90 years old, visually and physically impaired old women and men, pregnant women and school children.

Meanwhile, in a press release issued and signed by the community members including; community leaders, youth leaders, women leaders, landowners, sub chiefs and opinion leaders and copied to the GNA, they stressed that their lands were properly vested in their family clans and kept in custody by “Tingdanas” and not in the custody of other traditional authorities.

“Our lands are properly vested in our family clans and kept in custody by our Tingdanas.

Accordingly we will resist any attempt by any chief being a sub chief or paramount or overlord chief to impose Rich Power Mining Company on us. If we are pushed too much to the wall we will use legal action available”. They threatened.

According to the group, the Zangbeyire area is not only endowed with rich natural resources including; gold, but also has a major potential in the area of agriculture of which 99 per cent of the people are farmers. “Over the years the Zangbeyire area has been noted for being the food basket of the Bawku West District and the people are able to make their livelihoods from farming activities. Therefore we will not accept any attempt by any authority, to, in the name of mining, deprive us of our land and livelihood. We will resist any attempt with our very blood”, they stated.

Some of the over 200 people and land owners of Zangbeyire who signed and thumb- printed the Press Release included; Mr Avoka Azure, Mr Seidu Bernard, Mr Francis Ayanoor, Mr Patrick Ayabilla Mr Anab Noah, among others.