At Ghana’s AngloGold Ashanti mine, the soldiers killed at least seven civilians

The army said that seven illegal miners were killed in a battle on Saturday night, while a Ghanaian small-scale miners’ union alleged on Sunday that nine unarmed individuals were slain by troops at an AngloGold Ashanti (AU.N) mine that opened a new tab mine on Saturday night.

According to Kofi Adams, local head of the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners, the tragedy at the Obuasi gold mining location in the Ashanti Region of the West African nation had left nine persons dead and fourteen seriously injured, he told Reuters.

“The people had not been armed,” he claimed.

Earlier, Ghana’s military forces said that a gunfight broke out when over 60 illegal miners with locally made rifles and other weapons broke through the mine’s security fence at approximately 11:00 p.m. (2300 GMT) on Saturday and opened fire on a military patrol stationed there.

According to Adams, “this is unprecedented (and) it’s difficult to understand why this happened,” adding that warning shots have previously been used to ward off trespassers on the property.

The president of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, called the occurrence “tragic” and issued a statement on Sunday ordering an immediate inquiry.

In a statement, the presidency stated that the government has requested that AngloGold Ashanti pay for the funeral costs and medical bills of the injured.

Commentary from AngloGold Ashanti was not immediately available.

Southern Ghana’s Iduapriem and Obuasi mines are owned by the Johannesburg-listed miner. Over 490,000 ounces of gold were produced by the two mines last year.