Mpatuam, a mining town in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region, descended into chaos on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, when a violent standoff between protesting youth and armed military men left an Assembly Member dead and two others critically injured.
The deceased, identified as Samuel Danquah, Assembly Member for Aboabo, was shot during the confrontation and later pronounced dead at the hospital. Two other residents sustained severe gunshot wounds and are battling for their lives.
The unrest was sparked by allegations that security personnel linked to Asanko Mines were responsible for the killing of a miner the previous day. Angered by the incident, residents poured into the streets, blocked major roads, and demanded justice.
Eyewitnesses reported that the protest escalated when soldiers dispatched to restore calm fired live bullets into the crowd. “The youth were not happy over the alleged killing of one of their own. In the middle of the scuffle, the soldiers fired into the crowd. Danquah was hit and later confirmed dead at the hospital, while two others remain in critical condition,” recounted Kwame Sakyi, Assembly Member for Mpatuam.
The enraged youth retaliated by torching vehicles belonging to the mining company, sending thick smoke billowing across the community and heightening tensions.
The clash has reignited long-standing grievances between mining firms, security agencies, and local communities in the Amansie enclave. Residents have long accused both companies and security forces of exploitation, brutality, and disregard for their welfare.
Community leaders are now demanding an immediate and transparent investigation into the incident, warning that failure to secure justice for Danquah and the injured could trigger further violence.
As of Tuesday evening, Mpatuam remained on edge, its people angry and distrustful, with the fragile peace of the mining town hanging by a thread.
