The government’s fight against illegal mining (also known as galamsey) is getting more challenging as illegal miners gear up to face off against anti-galamsey teams.

A Forestry Commission Rapid Response team comprising eight members narrowly escaped death on Saturday, June 28, after they were ambushed by about 20 fully armed illegal miners still operating within the Jimira Forest Reserve in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti Region.

Reports indicate that officials of the team received intel that some illegal miners have begun operations in the reserve again, particularly Compartment 34 of the Jimira Forest Reserve (Bentiko-Pakyi portion).

Acting upon the news, they embarked on patrols only to be ambushed by some illegal miners who opened fire on them and blocked their entry into the forest with about three pickup trucks.

“Apparently, we had made attempts on two occasions to clamp down on illegal miners at the said portion of the reserve but were prevented by armed thugs.”

“One of our officers who was seated at the front of one of our vehicles was hit with a machete several times by the thugs,” an officer with the team is quoted to have told JoyNews reporter Erastus Asare Donkor.

This is not the first time such an incident has occurred. The most recent was on May 27, when the Rapid Team supported by 7 police officers from the Nkawie Divisional Police Command visited the area. Armed thugs prevented the team from accessing the reserve.

A similar incident about two months ago saw a member of the team get slashed in the knee with a machete by illegal miners.

The Jimira Extension Forest Reserve has become a no-go area even for forestry officials protecting the reserves.

However, some months ago, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah announced that through a joint military operation, some forests, including Jimira, were among seven forest reserves that had been reclaimed from illegal miners.

Earlier this year, illegal miners had taken over 44 forest reserves, devastating more than 5,000 hectares of land.

Despite previous interventions—including military deployment, arrests, and regulatory measures—illegal mining remains a persistent threat. The minister acknowledged that weak law enforcement has contributed to the problem, highlighting the country’s low prosecution rates for offenders.

Meanwhile, in enhanced anti-galamsey operations, the Ghana Police Service continues to arrest individuals who are engaged in illegal mining activities.

The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has nabbed four Chinese suspects for engaging in illegal mining activities in Atatam, in the Adansi Asokwa District in the Ashanti Region.

Two coordinated operations conducted on Friday, June 20, at Nikanika and Adeade in the Central Region led to the arrest of resulted in the arrest of three (3 )suspects and the seizure of several pieces of mining equipment. These suspects are being processed for court.