In Ghana’s fight against illegal mining, President Akufo-Addo established an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) in 2017 and a task force called Operation Vanguard to tackle illegal mining on the ground. Between 2017 and 2019, the team arrested over 2,200 illegal miners, including foreign nationals, but the government discontinued a major trial and deported the accused - instead of imposing stiff sanctions provided by law. In February 2019, a documentary alleged senior IMCIM officers had received bribes and encouraged illegal mining. The Media Coalition against Illegal Mining, formed in April 2017, has made illegal mining a national issue.