Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra)
Clement Boteng
11 November 2008
(Page 2 of 3)
Another engagement between WACAM and FIAN (German Human rights NGO) in a three-year campaign from 2001, on issues of communities affected by the operations of Ghana-Australia Goldfields (GAG) now AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine yielded positive results.. As part of the campaign, WACAM and FIAN held GAG and the lenders, which included the International Finance Corporation (IFC) responsible for the problems of the communities. The community complaints by WACAM and FIAN formed the basis for the development of an Action Plan and Community Development Plan (CDP) to address the short and long-term problems of the communities. The Action Plan and CDP, which were developed through consultations and negotiations between WACAM/FIAN and GAG/Lenders, include the construction of boreholes, schools, provision of scholarships to children of affected communities etc.
WACAM has contributed to the reduction of violent conflicts between affected communities and mining companies by getting affected mining communities to appreciate the importance of using legal procedures and campaigns in their struggles. WACAM's work has increased the confidence of affected peasant communities in the judicial system through its rights-based education and by so doing, has contributed to the democratic governance of Ghana and the Rule of Law.
WACAM had worked on the cyanide spillages of Goldfields Ghana Limited (GGL), which affected the Abekoase, the cyanide spillage of Teberebie, cyanide spillage of Golden Star Resources (Prestea/Bogoso Mine), cyanide spillage of Akyempem mine of Golden Star Resources, etc. As part of the Early Warning system on cyanide spillages, WACAM had trained community activists on how to identify cyanide spillages. The trained activists had been instrumental in raising the alarm on cyanide spillages which affected community streams early enough to avoid the situation of community people drinking streams polluted with cyanide. The campaign by WACAM on the cyanide spillage of GGL compelled the company to construct schools, roads, community meeting centre, clinic in addition to alternative livelihood projects for the communities.
WACAM successfully campaigned for environmental and social justice for the communities affected by the operations of Ashanti Goldfields Company now AngloGold Ashanti in Obuasi area. The campaign had resulted in AngloGold Ashanti accepting to dialogue with WACAM and the affected mining communities to address the problems. WACAM together with the Communities and AngloGold Ashanti have formed a Joint Investigations Committee to investigate the claims of violations of the rights of the mining communities.
WACAM had worked hard over the years to grow from a small community-based NGO to an organisation with national and international credibility. A BBC team that was in Ghana in 2000 for a documentary on Globalisation described WACAM as "the most inspiring group of people they met on their trip to Ghana." WACAM is part of the Global Mining Campaign, which is a global network of a number of mining advocacy organisations and human rights organisations.
In June 2005, a security team acting on behalf of AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi mine shot Awudu Mohammed a 'galamsey' suspect. The company denied shooting him and explained that the victim sustained the wounds that gushed out his intestines when he attempted to escape arrest by jumping over a wall and in the process was pierced by spikes. WACAM and National Coalition on Mining (NCOM) embarked on a sustained campaign on the issue with the support of the media until a report presented by a team of medical officers in June 2006 confirmed that the wounds sustained by Awudu Mohammed was from gunshots and not spikes.
WACAM has been in the forefront of raising public awareness on the effects of cyanide spillages on mining communities and holding mining companies responsible for the effects of cyanide spillages.
WACAM is a member of the NCOM, which is a coalition of NGOs campaigning for mining Law reforms in Ghana. The coalition campaigned for adequate protection of the rights of mining communities in the event of mining, payment of compensation to restore the livelihood of affected communities, compensation for fallow land and enforceable standards to prevent Cyanide spillages as part of the mining law reforms. Some modest gains of the campaign on the mining law reforms include provisions in the new Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) that establishes compensation principles which takes into account loss of expected income depending on the nature of crops on the land and their life expectancy. Additionally, the new Minerals and Mining Act makes provision for compensation of land. These provisions did not exist in the previous mining law (PNDC Law 153).
WACAM worked with the League of Environmental Journalists and the Assemblywoman for Bonsa Electoral area in 2003 to campaign against the disposal of Manganese waste into River Bonsa by the Ghana Manganese Company (GMC). The Bonsa River is the source from which the Ghana Water Company treats water for distribution to Tarkwa and its environs. The campaign compelled GMC to stop the disposal of Manganese waste into river Bonsa.
With support from IBIS, RAVI, Oxfam America and DKA, WACAM developed a leadership training programme for women in mining communities. Some of the women activists have emerged as community leaders in Teberebie, Dumase, Amamom, Anyankyirem, who are providing direction in community struggles. The community group formation strategy and awareness creation/education programme of WACAM, which is supported by RAVI, Oxfam America and IBIS, had empowered WACAM activists in affected communities to have effective engagements with multinational mining companies.
WACAM worked with organizations such as Oxfam America, Global Response, Earthworks, FIAN, JATAM, GRUFIDES, and American Indian Movement etc to develop a Shareholder campaign on Newmont. Resulting from the shareholder campaign was the adoption of a resolution presented by one of the Shareholders at the Annual General Meeting of Newmont in April 2007 that a Committee of independent Board members should be formed to conduct a global review and evaluation of the company's policies and practices relating to existing and potential opposition from local communities.
WACAM's advocacy work in the Obuasi area had empowered affected mining communities and the media to raise concerns about the negative effects of the operations of AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi mine.
WACAM's campaign in 2005 compelled Newmont, Ahafo mine to stop the disposal of faecal matter into River Asuopre, which served as the source of drinking water for Asuopre and other communities.
In the year 2000, WACAM and FIAN presented a petition on human rights violations in mining communities in the Wassa West District to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ). A preliminary investigation of CHRAJ based on the petition established human rights violations in the mining communities. On the basis of the preliminary report Mr. Emile Short, the then Commissioner of CHRAJ and Prof. Ken Attafuah were members of a three-member panel to investigate complaints of human rights abuses by mining companies from 10th to 12th September 2001. In 2005, the National Coalition on Mining (NCOM), a coalition of about 20 advocacy organizations including WACAM as part of a campaign against violence perpetrated by mining companies, catalogued a number of human rights abuses in mining communities. On 4th September 2008, CHRAJ launched a report on the State of human rights in mining communities in Ghana and the report confirmed the Human rights abuses perpetrated by mining companies in mining communities. The report confirmed that AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi mine operated a private detention facility as follows:" The former detention facility could be compared to that of a Police station where statements were taken. There was also a room where suspects used to be kept and this normally had one person at post". CHRAJ concluded in the report that "The results show that there is widespread evidence of widespread violations of human rights of individual members of communities and communities' collective rights in some mining areas in the country. The Commission obtained sufficient evidence to conclude that there has been widespread pollution of communities' water sources, deprivation and loss of livelihoods. Several allegations of excesses by security agencies and the security contractors of the mining companies were documented. Some of these excesses were of a serious and grievous nature."
In October 2005, WACAM, CEPIL and the communities affected by the operations of Newmont Ahafo mine sent a petition signed by 1205 community people to the Board of Directors of International Finance Corporation (IFC) requesting that the management of Newmont Ahafo mine should address the problems of the affected communities before been granted the $75 million loan by IFC. The petition compelled the government of US to seek further information from WACAM on the community concerns. The Environmental Protection Agency of the United States of America that was commissioned to review the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) of the Newmont Ahafo Mine as a result of the community petition, found many flaws in the EIS of Newmont Ahafo Mine. Some of the flaws of the EIS included the establishment of a monitoring location 2.5 km away from point of cyanide containment and the use of wrong methods to assess the acid generation potential of the rocks that would be mined. The review of the EIS formed a basis of a campaign by WACAM and the company responded that it had taken steps to address the issues raised in the review of the EIS.
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