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Ghana gold mine 'eco-devastation' Ghana gold mine 'eco-devastation'
(9 minutes later)
The pressure group War on Want says the mining company, AngloGold Ashanti, has devastated the environment around one of Ghana's biggest gold mines. The pressure group War on Want has accused the mining company AngloGold Ashanti of environmental damage at one of Ghana's biggest gold mines.
The group says that some of the rivers and streams around the Obuasi mine are polluted with cyanide. War on Want says waterways have been polluted with cyanide, and communities subjected to "severe repression".
A spokeswoman told the BBC that local communities who complained had met "severe repression". AngloGold Ashanti says the allegations are inaccurate and out of date.
AngloGold Ashanti told the BBC news website the allegations were inaccurate and out of date. A spokesman told the BBC News website that since the company took over the mine in 2004, it has upgraded the infrastructure and engaged with locals.
The company acknowledges there has been pollution but said it had invested in environmental controls. In a newly-published report, War on Want accuses several mining companies with British links of human rights violations in the developing world.
It pointed out that it had only taken over the mine in 2004 and prior to that it had been Ghanaian-owned. The AngloGold Ashanti operation at Obuasi, Ghana's largest gold mine, is just one of many cases it details.
War on Want alleges that cyanide spills have occurred since AngloGold took over and says company security officials have helped conduct "swoops" on nearby communities to catch illegal miners, which have caused injuries and created a climate of fear.
Improvements undertaken
AngloGold Ashanti spokesman Alan Fine said that the company was working hard to avoid environmental damage and that there had been no recent clashes with locals.
"When we took over the mine, the infrastructure was not in great shape and we worked hard to correct it," Mr Fine said.
He told the BBC that two spills from a cyanide containment lake, referred to by the pressure group, dated from late 2005 and the company "organised a clean-up and paid compensation".
Further he says the company has engaged with civil society, including artisanal miners, to reduce tensions.
War on Want wants British companies to sign up to a code of conduct that will bring tangible benefits to communities in the developing world.