By Paul M. Kanneh & Rational Joe Ks Fineboy with the Liberia Forest Media Watch
Several factors have been considered as threats to sustainable environmental practice in Liberia. Each of these factors are heightened by market interests at a given time. Logging, which was seen as one of the major factors over the years, has seen a little decline in the last two years due to sustained media and CSO advocacy and other market-driven challenges. Some companies have fled or abandoned their contract areas while others have gone financially broke. And of course, some have defaulted on their agreements with communities. As it stands, there is less logging activity across Liberia and most concessions are dormant.
But while Liberia and its development partners are working out modalities to ensure sustainable forest and environmental practices through the Voluntary Partnership Agreement, a new threat– illegal mining –has emerged. A leaked government’s report discussed on Forest Hour in August 2024’ put the loss of revenue to illegal mining at over US$30 million from just one cluster of eleven pits in western Liberia.
Like in the Western Region, the forest and environment in the Southeastern Region are under serious threat from illegal/artisanal mining, with Sinoe, Grand Kru, River Gee and Grand Gedeh Counties being the epicenters, LFMW investigations have established.
In most cases, local authorities appear to be in support of this kind of mining on the grounds that there is “nothing much else to survive on”. Likewise, illegal miners have attributed their actions to poverty or lack of jobs. “We cannot be living in money or visible resources and allow ourselves to live like we are very poor, and reason being is that government is not doing everything for the citizens”, the General Chairman of the town of Government Camp, John Doe, told LFMW.
John Doe is aware of the government’s stay order on illicit mining, saying his community recognized it, but said that 90% of his people are depending on mining and trading for survival. He bragged that at least his people are not using excavators like other places. “The mining activities in Government Camp is not like other areas where people are using excavators and other yellow machines”, said Chairman Doe.
Several miners interviewed told LFMW that the minerals are not too far from the surface; so, there is no need to use “big machines”. “Take a walk anywhere in this camp; as you are walking you will see that the gold in this area is not far from the surface of the ground; during the rainy season anybody in this Government Camp can fine gold because as it rains, the erosion exposes the mineral”, noted one miner.
In the face of these unregulated mining activities, the forest remains vulnerable to depletion. LFMW saw the clearing of vegetation, which poses threat to the environment. Water pollution is also a major factor in these places. With the unregulated human activities, ecosystem degradation and community safety remain high as mining pits are left open, which are detrimental to the movement of residents who roam nearby communities and bushes in search of livelihoods.
Child labor is also on the increase, as most parents or breadwinners are compelled to take their under-age children to join them in the gold fields. During a tour of the mining areas, none of those interviewed by LFMW could present authorization documents qualifying them to conduct mining.
LFMW estimates from interviews that two-third of the total working age group in Sinoe and Grand Kru counties are depending on mining as their biggest source of survival, with Government Camp and the Sapo National Park being the epicenters for gold mining and trading.
But Chairman Doe’s claims of miners not being involved in wide spread environmental abuse was challenged by an officer of the Community Watch Forum (CWF) assigned in Government Camp. The Watch Forum Officer told LFMW that mining activities in Government Camp are out of control, with both foreign nationals and citizens being heavily involved. He described Government Camp as a place of ‘hustle for both national and local authorities.
The CWF officer – whose name has been withheld for their own security – said “My brother, this is not only happening in Sinoe Government Camp alone, I travelled in other counties and I see what happening there, so it should not appear like it’s only in Sinoe County that illegal mining is ongoing with high profile individuals behind it; go River Gee, and do your fact finding on what I am telling you”.
Foreigners, including Ghanaians and Nigerians with the alleged backing of some local officials, are key actors in in the gold business in the Southeast. Recently, citizens of Sinoe County woke up to the news of gold burst in Pelaken in Sinoe County. The news of gold rush attracted many of them, who trooped in their numbers in search of gold. According to the locals, elders and traditional leaders were the ones that regulated the gold discovery, instead of the responsible government official/agency, by approving requests from individuals.
“If you can, we will take you to some of these places to see for yourself, and these people are backed by our so-called government officials. It’s frustrating and demeaning to see those who are not from here are the ones enjoying our resources. Go to Doeswen, Wayean, Walwleken, and Jlatiken just to name a few areas and find out who’s living and working in the bushes. For the Ghanaian’s part, they will soon take over this county, because it is just looking like they are the ones who own our resources”, lamented a man who identified himself as Blackfold Nimely.
Another concerned citizen noted that if foreign nationals and citizens from other parts of Liberia are involved in the illegal mining without any legal clampdown, they as owners of the land will have no alternative but to get involved too. We may not be able to get ourselves into big-big mining but the little our strength is able to do, we will do it to survive. Go to Taybue and see the river that is there, it has been [populated] from mining” he concluded.
In 2024, the government reiterated restrictions on the use of dredging machinery for mining, something the 2019 administration had also imposed. Yet, during the recent tour by LFMW, miners in Konobo District, Grand Gedeh, were seen using dredgers on the Cavalla River to extract minerals. What is concerning about the situation is that most locals appeared to be tightlipped on the suspicious mining activities. However, the few locals interviewed cited lack of job opportunities as reason for their illegal behaviors. Like elsewhere in the Southeast, foreign nationals, this time mainly Ghanaians and Burkinabes are key players in the Konobo mining saga.
A man sent to issue stay order on mining activities in Konobo allegedly beaten by officers of the Arm Forces of Liberia…
