In wake of the robbery and shooting death of a popular Bartica gold miner and one of his workers at Arimu Backdam, other Bartica gold miners have made a direct plea to the President for improved security in the town of Bartica and the surrounding mining areas.

President Irfaan Ali was in Bartica on Wednesday for the funeral of murdered gold miner, Zaheer Mohammed Sheriff.

During a meeting with miners and other businessmen, the President said the security situation will be addressed as a joint effort between the Police and the miners themselves.

“One of the thing is that a lot of miners now have their own security and we have been facilitating the firearms for miners’ security companies. One of the weakness I find is that all you miners, who are mining in a locality, when you go into an area, you have to build a network among yourselves, so that you can support each other,” the President encouraged.

However, many of the miners complained that while security companies that operate in mining districts are given license for firearms, actual managers of mining companies that are based in mining camps are finding it difficult to obtain a firearm license to protect themselves.

“So what I will do, I will let the Commissioner come and meet with miners for us to discuss ways in which we can have some collaboration,” the President promised.

Following the death of the miner and worker, the Small Miners Association issued a statement calling for increased security for the miners.

The Association said the incident served as a stark reminder of the grave dangers faced by those living and working in Guyana’s interior regions. 

“Furthermore, we call upon the Government of Guyana to take decisive action to enhance security measures and ensure the safety of all individuals residing and laboring in Guyana’s interior regions. It is imperative that steps be taken to address the underlying issues contributing to such violence, safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of our fellow citizens,” the Association noted.

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