Mahdia miners protest mining safety crackdown

Some of the protesters on Tuesday in front of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission’s Mahdia office.

Miners in Mahdia, in Region Eight, yesterday protested in front of the Mahdia office of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) over what they claim is victimisation of small miners.

The protest came days after the start of safety enforcement operation that was ordered by Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman following several recent mining-related deaths.

However, miners and other residents of Mahdia have since expressed their dissatisfaction with the way the GGMC is carrying out the exercise, claiming that officers have unjustly destroyed millions of dollars’ worth of mining equipment during the process.