Protesters clash with soldiers at Ghana gold mining town

Illegal mining is widespread in the West African country, where many in poor communities see it as a way of making a living [File: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters]

Heavily armed soldiers have fired shots to disperse protesters in the gold mining town of Obuasi, in the Ashanti region of Ghana, amid an army crackdown on miners whom the government sees as illegal.

Authorities arrested seven illegal miners on Monday for exiting a shaft belonging to one of the world’s largest gold miners, AngloGold, according to the company.