The Forgotten Children of Wartime Loggers

October 3, 2026

Top: A poster depicting OTC’s operations, combatants and Maya Lipin and her mother, Mahn Thomas. Poster by Michael Harijgens for The DayLight

By Emmanuel Sherman and Philip Quwebin

NEEZUIN, River Cess County – In 2000, Mahn Thomas, 17, visited her aunt in Buchanan, Grand Bassa. There she met Dennis Lipin, a 35-year-old Malaysian trucker with the Oriental Timber Company (OTC), the largest logging company then.

Initially, Mahn resisted Mr. Lipin’s proposal, as she “did not want a white man.” However, her aunt, who had a great influence over her, convinced her, and she gave in to Mr. Lipin. Shortly after, she moved to Neezuin, River Cess County, where Mr. Lipin was stationed. By 2001, she was pregnant with their first child, Maya, and another daughter, Nana, arrived two years later.

“He was nice and very good,” said Mahn.

But misfortune was right around the corner. Two months after Nana’s birth, a war between Liberian government forces and rebels intensified, and the family fled to Buchanan. When the war finally broke out in the port city, Mr. Lipin departed Liberia for Malaysia. That was the last time Mahn, Maya, and Nana ever saw him.

Maya and Nana are two of a large number of children fathered by Asian workers of OTC, which was owned and operated by Guus Van Kouwenhoven, a Dutch businessman who died last month in South Africa. Gus, as he was affectionately called in Liberia, collaborated with then-President Charles Taylor, making OTC and people connected to it targets for rebels.

When Taylor’s regime ended in October 2003, OTC’s Asian workers—Malaysians, Indonesians, Filipinos and Chinese—fled the country abruptly. But they left behind scores of children they had with Liberian women and never returned.

The ‘Red Sea’

Mahn and Maya. The DayLight/Philip Quwebin

Her OTC connection in mind, Mahn decided to escape Buchanan with her children and go to Firestone. They walked all night, and by dawn, they were stuck at the St. John Estuary in Upper Buchanan, where the Benson and Mechlin Rivers meet and discharge into the Atlantic Ocean. Many people drowned attempting to cross the watercourse. Afraid of that fate, she changed her mind and headed back to Buchanan with her daughters.

Interestingly, when she left, the water level miraculously dropped, allowing people to cross to safety. Overjoyed, people likened their experience to Moses leading the Israelites across the Red Sea in Exodus 14. “We called it the Red Sea, because the water parted and people walked on the [riverbed],” Mahn recalled.

The rebel faction that attacked Neezuin and Buchanan was the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL). Led by Thomas Nimely Yaya, the future Grand Gedeh Senator, MODEL had become active in March 2003. The group was linked to another rebel faction and based on an Ivorian militia loyal to then-President Laurent Gbagbo.

MODEL clashed with Taylor forces for the OTC belt, stretching across Grand Bassa, River Cess, and Sinoe counties. The Taylor regime granted OTC 1.6 million hectares of forest land and the Port of Buchanan in exchange for millions of dollars to fund his war, which contributed to the killing of some 250,000 people. Kouwenhoven used Hotel Africa he had managed since 1980, as a base for illegal arms trading. Joseph Wong, a Malaysian executive of the OTC, supported Taylor’s ties to rebels in Sierra Leone, fueling the carnage there. Thus, Liberia’s wartime timber was coined “conflict timber,” “blood timber,” or “logs of war.”

Struggle and stigma after the war

Twenty-three years after the war, as their hopes of reuniting with their fathers faded, OTC-linked children have moved on with their lives, amid hardship and stigmatization.

Forest resources were used to fund Liberia’s deadly civil wars between 1989 and 2003. Picture credit: Teun Voeten

Teta Giah did not meet her father, who reportedly died in Malaysia in 2004. A resident of New Buchanan, she struggles with accepting the life of fatherlessness. Her mother had met an OTC Asian worker during the war, who disappeared shortly after she was born.

“I used to think about my father when school fees, gala day fees, and other activities were hard to come by,” said Teta, a petty trader. She plans to attend college after she has saved enough money.

Prince Walker is a 23-year-old high-school graduate who no longer asks his OTC father for anything. Prince’s mother, Teta Doe, met his father in Compound Number Four. Prince lived with his grandmother, who cared for him since he was 11 months old. His father had already fled Liberia before he was born.

“Sometimes I tell him to forget about his father and move on with his life,” said Rebecca Walker, Prince’s grandmother.

For her part, Malissa Giah (no relation to Teta) lives with her aunt in Paynesville, outside Monrovia. Her father, whom she only knows as Johnny, was an OTC trucker. Before moving to Paynesville, Malissa sold in the market. Her friends used to scorn her as a “white woman selling pepper and [garden eggs].”

She wants to study accounting, but her uncle, who sponsored her through high school, cannot afford to send her to college. She is a single parent of a one-year-old girl.

“Sometimes I feel hurt, but it is where I find myself. When I am alone, I cry, pray to God to change my situation,” said Malissa.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) found that children faced severe stigmatization, exclusion, and shaming as a result of the conflict, and made several recommendations. The Liberian government has started the process to create the war crimes court the TRC recommended. However, war victims have yet to receive any reparations.

“So far, successive governments have failed to create a national reparations trust fund,” said John Stewart, former Commissioner of the TRC. “A reparations trust fund and a reparations commission require strong political will.”

Eric Saab, 24, hopes to meet his father to help him finish high school.

Eric’s Malaysian father, Henry Garlawu, worked as a mechanic for OTC and left Liberia before the war. His mother, Oretha, now deceased, had met his father at an OTC camp in River Cess. Eric, like Prince, lives in Buchanan with his grandmother

“I want to see my father,” Eric sobbed in a phone interview with The DayLight.

Dead feelings

Not only did the OTC children’s world fall apart, but also OTC’s. the same year of the MODEL attack, the United Nations imposed a travel ban on Taylor, Kouwenhoven, and Wong for their roles in the conflict, and embargoed Liberian Timber. Taylor was later sentenced to 50 years for crimes he committed in Sierra Leone. A Dutch court sentenced Kouwenhoven to 19 years for war crimes he committed in Liberia while in South Africa, but he was not extradited to the Netherlands to serve the term.

Today, Mahn sells things and does manual work to sustain herself and the children. Both girls have graduated from high school, but she regrets raising the children alone.

“I regret it because he left his children with me. He is supposed to be talking with his children and talking with me,” Mahn told The DayLight.

Her eldest daughter, Maya, is now 24. She, too, has two children and wants to study nursing.

“My feelings for my father have died, because I feel he is not concerned about what he left behind,” Maya said. “If something is important to you, no matter what it takes, you will try to find it.”

This story was a production of the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ).

Locals Lie to the EU over Proposed Park, Investigation Finds

October 1, 2026

Top: A view of Kallor Town, in Lower Sanquin Clan, Sinoe County. The DayLight/Samuel T. Jabba

By Varney Kamara, Esau J. Farr and Samuel T. Jabba

KALLOR TOWN – People in Sinoe County lied in a letter to the European Union Delegation in Liberia regarding their participation in the establishment of a proposed park, a DayLight investigation found.

In early September, the Lower Sanquin Clan citizens wrote ex-Ambassador Nona Deprez to intervene in an alleged violation of their customary rights regarding the Kwa Proposed Protected Area, according to the letter, seen by The DayLight. In the letter, they claim that they did not sign any agreement with authorities and had not consented to the establishment of Kwa. They are asking the EU, which is funding the park, to halt the process until they get redress.

Kwa is a collaboration among the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF), and the Liberia Land Authority (LLA). Legislation to finalize its formation is now before President Joseph Boakai for his signature. Thereafter, the document would go to the Legislature for enactment.

“To be clear, our community has not given [its consent] for the creation of the park,” read the Sanquin citizens’ letter. “We have asked that the gazettement be delayed until the FDA, the LLA, and the WCF propose a model of conservation that will respect our customary rights.”

But a DayLight review of official documents and interviews—including with signatories—contradicts the claims in the letter.

Contradiction

Covering 171,888 hectares, the Kwa Proposed Protected Area spans River Cess, Sinoe, and Grand Gedeh Counties. The forest is a habitat for Liberia’s second-largest known population of critically endangered western chimpanzees, pygmy hippopotamuses, and forest elephants. It supports national efforts to protect 30 percent of Liberia’s forests and fulfills its climate commitments.

In 2016, the Kwa process started. However, in 2023, a group of NGOs, including Social Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Development (SESDev), objected to the process. The group flagged that communities had not confirmed their customary ownership of the forestland. The advocacy referenced the Gbehzohn Declaration, in which actors agreed to confirm customary land tenure before establishing a park.

Eventually, the process resumed in early 2023, with customary land activities. Locals finally gave their consent for Kwa, signed boundary agreements, and agreed to co-manage the park alongside authorities, official documents show. They also participated in meetings about the humid forestland.

“Our towns commit to actively participate in the sustainable management of protection of the future… Kwa National Park,” read one document they signed. “Our town wishes to receive specific benefits based on negotiations from the future… Kwa National Park.”

Ironically, three individuals who co-wrote the letter to the EU envoy had signed documents to establish Kwa.

Evelyn Kpalleh, Town Chief of Kallor Town, signed a Kwa co-management agreement on April 5, 2023, and a boundary paper on June 27 this year. She admits to signing the documents, but said she co-wrote the EU letter because she was allegedly left out of the boundary process.

Esther Broh, a farmer in Kallor Town, signed a similar Kwa co-management document that Kpalleh signed on the same day. However, she denies signing the document. “I don’t remember signing any agreement that the park should come to our community,” said Broh in an interview with The DayLight at her home.

However, the evidence does not support Broh’s comments. Broh and three other Kallor townspeople even agreed to take part in species monitoring and patrols, according to official documents. They promised to farm outside “the agreed harmonized boundary” of the proposed park.

Reason Seequeh, the chairman of the Upper Sanquin Clan’s land committee, speaks with The DayLight. The DayLight/Samuel Jabba

Reason Seequeh, who heads the community land leadership, signed a Kwa boundary agreement with five other people, including Kpalleh and Clan Chief Anthony Blay. Seequeh now claims his signature on the Kwa document was forged, and accused authorities of extending the boundary into his farmland.

“I remember attending a meeting in Bolue-2. We only signed the attendance sheet for people who participated in the meeting. I did not sign any form for the establishment of this park,” said Seequeh.

Two townspeople who also signed the boundary agreement confirmed Seequeh signed it.

“We signed the paper. Mr. Seequeh, who is our chairman, also signed the document,” said Sarah Jlateh, a Sayon Town leader.

“We signed the document in a big meeting in Kallor Town. I signed it. Mr. Reason Seequeh and other people signed it. The only issue we have now is that when they got ready to cut the line, they did not involve us in the process,” said Jerry Baker, a Sayon Town resident.

Dr. Annika Hillers, WCF’s Country Director, said all legal procedures regarding customary land were followed.

“These steps served to ensure that the communities’ farming activities were excluded from the park and the boundary was shifted and the size of the park was reduced to make sure that no crops were affected,” Dr. Hillers said. “The communities were fully part and thus influenced the boundary location.”

The LLA, which oversees the customary land activities, said it would investigate Seequeh’s claim. “The same people who are now saying that they did not sign any documents are the same people who participated, got involved in meetings, and signed attendance sheets and other agreements,” said Ezekiel Weah, Assistant Director of Customary Land. The FDA did not respond to queries.

A second lie

Like the letter’s co-authors, several people who signed boundary and consent papers denied doing so. However, reporters interviewed one person who admitted signing the documents.

Mathew Tarpeay, a New Town resident, now Commissioner of Upper Sanquin: “The only issue we had was for the park to go behind our sacred creek. Once that was done and resolved, we agreed and signed for the park to come. We have no objection to it.”

A drone picture of the Kwa Proposed Protected Area in Grand Gedeh County. The DayLight/Samuel T. Jabba

This is the second time local people have lied about their involvement with Kwa. Earlier this year, The DayLight published evidence that cocoa farmers in Grand Gedeh County misinformed President Boakai, leading to a government inquest. The farmers claimed they had not given their consent for Kwa formation. Turns out, like in the Lower Sanquin case, signatories of the presidential letter had signed official documents for Kwa. The findings from the government inquest have not been published.

But in interviews in four adjacent Kwa communities in Grand Gedeh, townspeople expressed support for the proposed park.

“From the beginning, we said no because the forest is where we can get our living,” said Cephus Krah, Town Chief of Kumah Town in Tchien District. “But after they taught us about the importance of the forest, we signed the document without anybody forcing us.”

9 Proposed Changes to the Forestry Law Explained

September 15, 2026

Top: Operators mill planks with a chainsaw in Borkeza, Lofa County, in 2022. The DayLight/James Harding Giahyue

By Roberto T. Kollie

MONROVIA – The Liberian government is considering one of the most significant overhauls of the National Forestry Reform Law since its enactment 20 years ago. In 2006, Liberia’s legal landscape was very different. Since then, the country has enacted major legislation, including the Community Rights Law… with Respect to Forest Lands and the Land Rights Act. Liberia has also committed to international agreements on climate change, biodiversity conservation, and legal timber trade.

Several provisions of the existing forestry law now conflict with these newer legal frameworks or fail to address emerging issues such as carbon trading, community land rights, traceability of timber exports, and mining activities in forest areas.

Government agencies, communities, civil society organizations, development partners, and the private sector will discuss the changes further before preparing any final legislative proposal. If consensus is reached, a formal amendment bill would eventually be prepared for consideration through Liberia’s legislative process.

Should the proposed reforms be adopted, they could significantly reshape how Liberia manages its forests, balances conservation with economic development, protects communities’ rights, regulates timber production, and improves transparency in one of the country’s most valuable natural resource sectors.

Here is what the proposed reforms could mean:

1. Sustainable management would become the foundation

One of the biggest proposals is the introduction of sustainable forest management as the guiding principle for every forestry decision. Instead of focusing primarily on commercial timber production, the revised law would require government institutions to balance economic development with biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, community livelihoods, transparency, and protection against illegal logging.

This change would align Liberia’s forestry sector with international agreements such as the Paris Agreement, REDD+, and other global forest governance standards.

2. A legal definition of ‘forest‘

Surprisingly, Liberia’s forestry law currently lacks a statutory definition of what constitutes a forest. The proposed amendment would establish an interim definition based on the 2018 National Forest Inventory. It would allow the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) to periodically revise technical criteria through regulations after future national forest inventories.

Supporters argue that this would reduce uncertainty in land classification and forest management.

Forestry reformers are attempting to define what constitutes a forest in changes to the National Forestry Reform Law. Picture credit: James Harding Giahyue

3. Clarified community ownership

One of the most important reforms concerns ownership of forest resources. The existing law generally states that forest resources are held “in trust” by the Republic. However, the proposed amendments would recognize that forest resources located on customary land belong to communities, while those on private land belong to private landowners, consistent with the Land Rights Act.

Government trusteeship would continue primarily over forests on government and public land.

4. Greater decision-making power to communities

The draft proposes making free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) a legal requirement before any forestry license affecting customary or community forests can be approved. No forest license would be issued on community land without documented approval from local people.

The objective is to ensure that communities understand proposed projects and voluntarily agree before forests are allocated for use.

5. Stronger community forestry

The review also proposes placing community forest management agreements (CFMAs) within the National Forestry Reform Law. Currently, it is not there, as the CFMAs were created by the Community Rights Law, three years after the National Forestry Reform Law. (CFMAs are agreements between communities and the FDA for co-management of community forest resources.

Although communities already manage forests under separate legislation, supporters say integrating these arrangements into the National Forestry Reform Law would eliminate confusion and strengthen community rights.

The amendments would also clarify the respective responsibilities of community forest management bodies (CFMBs), community forest development committees (CFDCs), and community land development and management committees (CLDMCs) to reduce overlapping mandates. (CFMB was created by the Community Rights Law, CFDC was created by the National Forestry Reform Law, and the CLDMC was established by the Land Rights Act).

6. Legal but regulated chainsaw milling

One of the most controversial proposals involves chainsaw milling. Although chainsaw milling has long operated informally in many parts of Liberia, it is not currently recognized as a licensed activity.

The draft would create a formal Chainsaw Milling Permit available only to Liberian citizens, cooperatives, and authorized communities under strict conditions. It would limit operations to community forests or private land, prohibit exports of chainsaw-milled timber, require environmental approvals, and establish penalties for violations.

Supporters argue that regulation is more practical than allowing widespread informal operations.

7. Transparent revenue management

The review follows concerns raised by previous audits regarding forestry benefit-sharing.

The draft requires forestry payments to pass through designated government accounts, and not directly to individuals. It would also establish by law the National Benefit Sharing Trust Board, which manages benefits for communities affected by certain commercial logging activities. It would also require annual audits and strengthen oversight of community forestry funds.

These measures are intended to improve accountability and reduce opportunities for misuse of forestry revenues.

8. Tighter controls over mining in forests

Perhaps the most controversial proposal addresses the growing overlap between mining and forestry.

The amendments would prohibit mining in protected areas, require community land access agreements before mining on customary land, and establish stronger coordination between the Forestry Development Authority and the Ministry of Mines and Energy. Mining companies would also need FDA site assessments before forest-clearing could occur.

9. Stronger monitoring of forestry operations

The draft would require annual independent audits of all major forestry licenses, including community forestry agreements and chainsaw milling permits.

Audit reports would be published, increasing public access to information about timber harvesting, payments, community benefits, and legal compliance.

The amendments would also require the National Forest Policy to be reviewed every five years through a participatory process, involving government, communities, civil society, and the private sector.

Trucks offload logs outside Greenville, Sinoe County. The DayLight/James Harding Giahyue

Other Issues

But not every issue has been resolved. The review identifies several questions requiring additional consultation, including:

Whether new Forest Management Contracts and Timber Sale Contracts should be allowed on community land or restricted to government land.
Whether all forestry contracts should follow a uniform 25-year harvesting cycle or whether smaller community forests should have different harvesting rules.
How large community commercial contracts should comply with public procurement principles.

US$5.4 Million Grebo-Krahn Park Project Restarts

September 10, 2026

Top: Participants at the Grebo-Krahn project relaunch in Ziah City. The DayLight/Esau J. Farr, Sr.

By Esau J. Farr, Sr.

ZIAH CITY, Grand Gedeh County – The Forestry Development Authority (FDA) has relaunched a multipurpose project for the Grebo-Krahn National Park. The 4.7 million Euros (US$5.4m) project is called the Tai-Grebo-Krahn Complex Biodiversity Protection Project, meant to manage the park.

The German government is funding the project through the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF) in Liberia, a conservation NGO. The scheme was approved in 2017 by the German Development Bank (KfW) valued at 6 million Euros.

“We hope that this project can finally address some of the issues that have been coming from the park since its establishment nine years ago,” said Wild Chimpanzee Foundation’s Country Director, Dr. Annika Hillers, at the project’s relaunch in Ziah City, Grand Gedeh County. “It will bring a lot of relief to FDA, the partners, and most of all, the development of local community members.”

The three-year plan focuses on communities’ benefits. It targets roads to connect communities around the park, and offices for the FDA to support regular monitoring. It intends to train over 300 people, employ locals, and introduce animal farming and local savings clubs.

The project also targets the construction of schools, medical facilities and hand pumps, and 150 solar street lights for communities adjacent to the park.

The FDA’s Deputy Managing Director for Community, Conservation and Carbon, Nora Bowier, encouraged locals to own it.

“You need to own it because if it succeeds, we all succeed, and if it fails, we all fail,” Bowier said. “We listened to all your concerns and interests and we are going to look into them to try and address them to the degree we can.”

Thomas Yaya Nimely, the Senator of Grand Gedeh County, said locals were willing to help the government protect the forest.

“Our concern is that our citizens have been keeping this forest for generations and as you have come for it, we want to know what benefits this project will bring to them?”

History and biodiversity

The Grebo-Krahn National Park was established in 2017 through a partnership of the FDA and Wild Chimpanzee Foundation. Its establishment was part of the government’s efforts to preserve a portion of its forest in line with the Paris Agreement.

The 97,136-hectare forest runs from Grand Gedeh through River Gee into the Tai-Grebo area near the Ivorian border. The area hosts several wildlife species, including forest elephants, chimpanzees and the pygmy hippopotamus.

Additionally, it has 300 known animal species and 270 plant species, highlighting its environmental significance. The region has also been designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International, the world’s leading global partnership dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats.

An environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) is expected soon, after which road construction will begin.

Shadow Firm Smuggled over US$400K of Timber to Ivory Coast

August 25, 2026

Shadow Firm Smuggles over US$400K of Timber to Ivory Coast — A truck transports logs outside Greenville, Sinoe County in 2023.

Top: A truck transports logs outside Greenville, Sinoe County, on January 3, 2023. The DayLight/James Harding Giahyue

By Varney Kamara

MONROVIA – Horizon Logging Limited, an Israeli-owned logging company with unknown owners, smuggled timber to the Ivory Coast on multiple occasions, valued at US$437,000, A DayLight investigation found.

The two shipments occurred in 2023 and 2024, according to Trademo, a US-based business platform that publishes international trade data. However, those shipments happened outside of LiberTrace, Liberia’s legal timber-trading system.

Of the total value, Horizon shipped US$163,790 in 2023 and US$273,380 in 2024, the data shows. One of its Ivorian buyers is the Abidjan-based Sdma, which offers sea, air and land transport services.

A review of all of Horizon’s export records through LiberTrace shows no trace of the Ivorian shipments. Further review of its trading at the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and the Liberia Revenue Authority produced the same result.

Companies can trade outside LiberTrace and still pay export taxes to the LRA due to weak coordination among public entities. However, Horizon did not pay any taxes for its Ivorian shipments, the LRA records show. This means the exports happened outside the entire government system and were smuggled across the eastern borders. The exports were documented because the Ivorian government declared them under international trade protocols.

Exporting logs outside the legal system violates the Regulation on Establishing a Chain of Custody System. The regulation provides that timber is traced from its origins to the final destination. The idea is a centerpiece of forestry reform and Liberia’s timber trade agreement with the European Union, which has decided to terminate the deal over continued violations.

Ivory Coast, likewise, prohibits the illegal importation of timber, according to the country’s regulations on the import and export of forest products. The laws state that entities engaged in the import of forest products must get approval from the Ivoirian Minister of Water and Forests, and documentation of a timber legal origin.

“Illegal timber extraction and shipments create a compounded loss for Liberia. Communities lose legitimate forest benefits, livelihoods and climate resilience, while government loses revenue and potential economic benefits, says Dayugar Johnson, the lead campaigner at the Civil Society Independent Forest Monitor.

“At the community level, illegal logging and exports can deprive forest-dependent communities of social benefits and other revenues that could support schools, health facilities, roads, water systems and livelihoods, undermining their rights, as well as fueling local conflicts.”

Mystery owners

The illegal shipments are not the company’s only wrongdoing. The DayLight found other issues with Horizon’s ownership. Horizon Minerals BV holds 99 percent of Horizon’s shares, and one Dov Aronvich holds the remaining. However, Horizon Minerals BV does not list its shareholders, a requirement under the Beneficial Ownership Regulation of 2023.

Originating from the Liberia Business Association Act, the regulation requires companies to declare their ultimate beneficial owners or the individuals who own them. It is part of a global scheme to combat financial crimes, including money laundering, terrorist financing, and tax evasion. As part of that fight, the Liberian cabinet approved the establishment of a beneficial ownership registry.

Horizon Logging Limited abandoned several logs in Konobo Community Forest, Grand Gedeh County. DayLight/Samuel Jabba

Horizon has been inactive for two years now, according to its business registration certificate. It deserted a 15-year logging contract with the Konobo Community Forest in Grand Gedeh County. It promised to pay the community, build a school, and erect hand pumps, among others, in exchange for harvesting Konobo’s 49,627-hectare forest. Instead, it left unpaid benefits and several logs in the moggy forest and other locations.

Horizon did not respond to The DayLight’s queries for comments.

Augustus Abram, one of its executives, acknowledged receipt of the newspaper’s queries. Later, he denied it was him, even though the newspaper had contacted him earlier this year about Horizon. The DayLight also called his number on official documents and emailed him, but both attempts failed.

Moreover, The DayLight tried contacting Lev Segev, another Horizon executive, but that effort proved unsuccessful. The newspaper then emailed Jamil Ali Fayad, Horizon’s incorporator, but that too did not materialize.

FDA Regains Control of Grebo-Krahn National Park

August 22, 2026

A Krahn-Grebo National Park signboard in Grand Gedeh County

Top: A signboard of the Krahn-Grebo National Park in Grand Gedeh County. The DayLight/Esau Farr

By Esau J. Farr

BILLIBO TOWN – The Forestry Development Authority (FDA) has regained control of the Grebo-Krahn National Park from traditional leaders in Grand Gedeh County for the first time in months.

The FDA recently did so following a meeting in Billibo Town, Konobo District. Since May, traditional leaders prevented the FDA from entering the forest due to a misunderstanding over forest rangers’ alleged destruction of cocoa plants.

“We have resolved the issue,” said Alex Grant, the Superintendent of Grand Gedeh County. “This means that FDA’s rangers can now go into the forest and do their regular work free of intimidation.”

The traditional leaders in the Konobo District had held rangers for allegedly breaching traditional norms. The followers of the masked dancer, commonly known as “country devil,” claimed rangers cut down young cocoa trees outside the park. As a result, they held them for a whole day, demanding a cow and two sheep for their release.

The rangers denied any wrongdoing, saying rangers only destroyed tents that illegal occupants had built in the park during a routine inspection.

They were only released after the intervention of James Saylee, Paramount Chief of Gbardru Chiefdom, Konobo District, who provided a sheep and a bag of rice.

But the rangers’ ordeal was not over. The traditional leaders demanded that the FDA present a cow and the two sheep to have access to the park.

At the Tuesday meeting, the Ministry of Local Government disagreed with the actions of the traditional leaders.

“Don’t use the culture to solve matters,” said William Jallah, Assistant Minister of Culture. “If you hide behind the culture, it will give the Superintendent and the Legislature a hard time to fight your case,” Jallah called for coordination among traditional leaders and local county officials, and warned them of stern punishment against troublemakers.

“We don’t want a repeat of what happened in Sinoe during the regime of former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf when traditional activities were banned for five years,” Jallah said.

At the end of the meeting, everyone agreed that rangers resume their work in the park.

Jerry Yonmah, FDA’s Technical Manager for Conservation, appreciated stakeholders for jointly helping to put an end to the misunderstanding. He encouraged rangers to better collaborate with community people to manage the park.

“I feel happy that this matter has been resolved,” said Yonmah. “I told our people that hearing actions that undermine the government’s work sometimes border on disrespect for the government.”

Illegal miners enter the park

In the absence of rangers in the park, illegal miners began mining there. Locals told The DayLight they chased the miners from the area. DayLight could not independently verify the information.

Established in October 2017, the Grebo-Krahn National Park covers 97,136 hectares of forestland that lies between Grand Gedeh and River Gee Counties southeast of Liberia. It is home to forest elephants, chimpanzees and pygmy hippopotamus.

It holds over 300 animal species and 270 plant species, highlighting its environmental significance. The park is also designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International, the world’s leading global partnership dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats.

Two Loggers Killed in Horrific Accident

August 20, 2026

Tree falls and kills two loggers in Sinoe County. — One of two loggers killed in a logging accident on August 12, 2026 in Numopoh, Sinoe County

Top: The body of one of the loggers killed in an accident last week. Picture credit: Superintendent Darius Nagbe, Sr.

By Myer Saydi

NUMOPOH — Two loggers died after a tree crushed them in Sinoe County recently, the police said.

The victims have been identified as William Wleh Tarpeh, 49, and Stephen Chea Jr., about 25. They were contractors with African Finch Logging Limited, a company operating the Numopoh Community Forest in the Kpanyan District.

“Our investigation is ongoing. We are working to establish exactly what happened and to identify the people who were involved in the logging operation when the accident occurred,” said Moses Dweh of the Liberia National Police’s Criminal Services Division.

“Unfortunately, the company has not yet identified the workers allegedly involved, which is making it difficult for us to fully establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.”

Preliminary accounts indicate that Tarpeh and Chea had completed their assignment when the tree the unnamed worker cut fell on them.

The accident left Wleh trapped beneath a heavy log, where he reportedly remained for nearly two days before his body could be recovered. The recovery operation drew county officials, chiefs and elders, and residents to the scene.

Chea Jr. was rushed to Kilo Town Clinic on Tuesday evening following the incident, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Speaking through their grief, Stephen Chea, Sr., father of the deceased, expressed profound pain over the death of his son.

“I am fully and painfully frustrated. I don’t see any meaning in living any longer. Why is this world so wicked and heartless?”

Stephen’s mother, visibly devastated by the loss, said her son would never return home again.

“My son will never come back again. See the nasty way my son died!”

The remarks reflect the deep emotional pain surrounding the tragedy. They also express concerns about how the matter has been handled after their son’s death.

Stephen Chea Jr. (arrowed) was one of the two loggers killed last Tuesday in Sinoe County. Picture credit: Facebook/Stephen Chea, Jr.

Nathaniel Wah, African Finch’s Human Resources Manager, expressed condolences to the bereaved families.

“It was an accident, no body deserved such a death. We all regret this, and we console the families. We are in pain and frustrated,” Wah said.

He said that the deceased men were contracted through a subcontractor that is responsible for African Finch’s production.

There are growing concerns about the company’s responsibility and the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Residents and local authorities are reportedly seeking answers about the individuals who were operating the chainsaw at the time of the accident. They want to know whether other workers have been brought in for questioning by the police.

Concerns have also been raised about why logging operations have reportedly continued while the deceased’s families are still mourning.

These concerns have intensified calls for the relevant authorities to establish exactly what happened, determine responsibility where necessary, and ensure that appropriate safety measures are being followed at logging sites.

Darius Nagbe, the Superintendent of Kpanyan District, expressed frustration over African Finch’s “inadequate response to the tragedy.”

We are worried that individuals who allegedly felled the trees are yet to be identified,” Nagbe said. He called for the chainsaw operators who felled the fatal tree to be turned over to the police for questioning.

Dweh, the police officer assigned to the case, said the investigation has encountered difficulty because the company had not identified the alleged chainsaw operators—the company has since not commented on this issue.

For the families of Tarpeh and Chea Jr, the pain goes far beyond the questions now being asked. The two men left home expecting to return. Instead, their families received their dead bodies.

This is a production of the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ).

Chinese Firm Exports US$13K Timber Amid Moratorium

August 18, 2026

Men upload a consignment of a non-timber forest product in Sinoe, 2024.

Top: Men offload non-timber forest products on a beach in Greenville, Sinoe County, in January 2024. The FDA permits export of the NTFPs amid a moratorium. File Picture: Anonymous

By Esau J. Farr

MONROVIA – A Chinese company was permitted to ship logs despite the existence of a moratorium against such shipment, official records show.

Jiuzhou International Liberia Limited, a sand mining company, exported 320 pieces of camwood to China in January, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s records. Camwood (Baphia nitida) is a hardwood tree grown mainly in West Africa used as a natural dye, soap-making and woodworking. It is among wood species with high price values in Liberia, selling US$550 per cubic meter.

Jiuzhou’s export was confirmed by Export Genius, a US-based business platform that publishes international trade data. Export Genius’ data also reveals that last year Jiuzhou made a similar export, both exports valued over US$13,000, and passed through the Freeport of Monrovia.

The Forestry Development Authority’s records show that Jiuzhou’s exports occurred outside the legal system for timber trade, or LiberTrace.

But in 2021, the FDA placed a moratorium on non-timber forest products (NTFPs), including camwood. Then, the FDA’s board of directors retained the moratorium in a July 2024 board meeting.

“All other certificates signed by the [Managing Director] become null and void,” according to unpublished minutes of the board meeting seen by The DayLight. “FDA needs to invite all those involved for a way forward.”

Albert Blanyon, the newly appointed FDA Deputy Managing Director for Technical Services, said the regulator does not enroll NTFPs in LiberTrace.

“I can’t confirm if a moratorium was passed,… as people I asked, who were here at that time, can’t confirm, nor is there any document to that effect,” said Blanyon.

The facts contradict Blanyon’s comments.

At the July 2024 meeting, the FDA board agreed that the moratorium remained in place until the Regulation on NTFPs, formulated in 2008, was reviewed. The board intended to use the review to address deforestation and the lack of benefits for communities that host NTFPs.

Two years on, however, there is no record that the review has happened. Key forestry NGOs, including the Botanical Products Association of Liberia, which raises awareness of the protection and trade of NTFPs, said they were unaware of it.

A truck carrying a load of a non-forest timber product in Sinoe in 2024. Picture credit: Anonymous

“We have not really been informed about any review on the NTFPs Regulation,” said Fredrick Gonkartee, the association’s president.

The Jiuzhou exports are not the first of NTFPs since the moratorium five years ago. Last year, The DayLight found evidence that the FDA violated it by awarding businesses permits to export chewing sticks.

An underground market

Jiuzhou was established in October 2013. It is owned by two Chinese nationals: Hao Shuli (80 percent shares) and Wang Depeng (20 percent shares). It has had 10 licenses between 2020 and 2026 for sand mining and rock quarrying in Margibi County. It could have one more license, which is under review for a sand mine between Margibi and Grand Bassa Counties.

In an interview, Li Yuan Hai, a Jiuzhou executive, denied any wrongdoing, as the FDA had approved the exports.

“Me, I didn’t do anything on my own,” Li said. “I paid my tax to the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA). If the government was going to say I didn’t pay tax, then that’s my problem.”

Asked whether he was adding forestry to his company’s mining profile, Mr. Li now said he did not own the wood. He had aided friends to ship the consignment, using his company’s documents.

The underground NTFP exportation resembles Kpokolo—containerized timber blocks shipped outside the legal system, and banned in 2022.

Men offload non-timber forest products on a beach in Greenville, Sinoe County in January 2024. Picture credit: Anonymous

Exporting outside LiberTrace leaves no trace, does not verify tax payment or community benefits, and does not show the exporter’s eligibility. Furthermore, like in the case of kpokolo, FDA managers control the accounts into which companies pay NTFP fees.

Forestry campaigners are critical of timber exports outside the legal system.

“Illegal timber extraction and shipments create a compounded loss for Liberia. Communities lose legitimate forest benefits, livelihoods and climate resilience, while government loses revenue…,” said Dayugar Johnson, the chairman of the Civil Society Independent Forest Monitors.

Johnson added, “Illegal logging and exports can deprive forest-dependent communities of stumpage fees, social benefits and other revenues that could support schools, health facilities, roads, water systems and livelihoods.”

Scrap Company Turns to Illegal Timber Trafficking

August 14, 2026

Top: A 2022 photo shows an earthmover loading logs into a container in Grand Bassa County. The DayLight/James Harding Giahyue

By Samuel Jabba

MONROVIA – A scrap company on the Japanese Freeway shipped round logs to India outside the legal channel for timber export. Elephant Multipurpose Corporation exported the seven round logs to India in January, according to records of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The shipment was confirmed by Market Insight, an international trade data company and subsidiary of Business Insider, the US-based global financial news giant. It is the only shipment the company, established in 2021, has made. Omkara Overseas, an Indian textile firm, was the buyer.

But records from the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) show that the export occurred outside of LiberTrace, the legal channel for timber trading, known as the Chain of Custody System. The evidence reveals that Elephant Corporation is not registered in the FDA’s system, and has never traded through it. Additionally, Sundeh Albert Blanyon, the FDA’s Deputy Managing Director for Technical Services, confirmed the information.

Forestry Regulation on Establishing a Chain of Custody System requires that timber be shipped through the system so it can be traced from its origins to its final destinations. It guarantees tax payment and community benefit.

Having exported timber outside the system, Elephant Corporation evaded substantial taxes to the government and the community where the timber originated. Taxes include land rental, harvesting, and other fees.

“We have observed a lot of smuggling activities in timber exports. This has not improved businesses and revenue payment to the Government,” says Jonathan Yiah, the lead forest campaigner at the Sustainable Development Institute, a Margibi-based NGO. “Smuggling is bringing a lot of frustration within the affected communities.”

Elephant owners — A collage of Elephant Multipurpose Corporation’s owners. Ismail Y. Sheriff (left) and Ayouba Kamara, via their WhatsApp profiles.

Penalties

Elephant Multipurpose Corporation was founded on October 12, 2021, according to its legal documents at the Liberia Business Registry. Mr. Sheriff has 60 percent shares, and Ayouba Kamara has the remaining ones.

Efforts to interview Sheriff and Kamara did not materialize. However, Mohamed M. Sidibey, an Elephant Corporation executive, claimed that the company had bought the logs at a public auction at the Freeport of Monrovia. He presented no evidence.

The National Port Authority did not confirm or deny the alleged auction. An NPA spokesman said the agency could not say anything about the export because it did not have the identification number of the container in which the logs were exported.

Regardless, the facts contradict the procedure surrounding the alleged auction.

NPA auctions goods that overstay at the ports nationwide. However, it does not have the authority to auction timber. Instead, that authority belongs to the FDA, per the Regulation on Abandoned Logs, Timber and Timber Products. The 2017 regulation requires the FDA to auction unattended logs with a court warrant. Violators face a fine, confiscation of their properties, and imprisonment, but companies exploit poor coordination among government agencies, customs brokers and truckers.

Confronted with the inconsistency, Sidibey shrugged off the likelihood of Elephant Corporation facing any penalties.

“I don’t know about any violation. When they close the company, then we will sit down. I don’t have a problem with the fines or imprisonment; that’s not an issue,” Sidibey said.

Much is unknown about Mr. Kamara’s track record, but his partner is all too familiar. A 2026 General Auditing Commission report found that Mr. Sheriff and 14 Nimba officials misappropriated US$12 million and L$55 million (US$305,555 today) from the county’s social and county development fund. Mr. Sheriff did not respond to queries for comment on that issue.

This story was a production of the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia.

Two Protected Forests Near Establishment

August 10, 2026

Group pic Gt

Top: Stakeholders at the Proposed Kwa Gazettement forum in Monrovia. The DayLight/Esau J. Farr

By Esau J. Farr

MONROVIA – Forestry actors agreed to establish the Kwa and Wonegizi Protected Areas in Liberia, and expect them to become reality soon.

Officials held two public engagement forums in Monrovia to gather stakeholders’ input for Kwa and Wonegizi’s gazettement. Scores of conservationists, forest campaigners, and governmental agencies participated in the events.

“Today, we have come with a package to put this portion of the Kwa into protection for the future of our people,” said Rudolph Merab, the FDA Managing Director, at the Kwa event. “We appreciate the efforts of all who helped reach this far.”

Pygmy hippo

Kwa and Wonegizi safeguard critical swathes of Liberia’s remaining portion of the Upper Guinean forests. They are home to endangered species and are part of the country’s commitments to preserve 30 percent of its forests.

The Kwa Proposed Protected Area covers River Cess, Sinoe and Grand Gedeh Counties, extending some 236,246 hectares. Its establishment began in 2016. The FDA partners with the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, based in the Mano River basin, and the US-based Rainforest Trust to establish the area.

Kwa supports Liberia’s second-largest known population of critically endangered western chimpanzees, endangered pygmy hippopotamuses, and critically endangered slender-snouted crocodiles.

Dr. Annika Hillers, the Country Director of Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, told the Kwa ceremony reveled in the progress.

“We need to talk about what is best for the country and not what is best for an individual. We hope that for the best of Liberia, the proposed Kwa National Park will become a reality as soon as possible,” added Dr. Hillers.

Meerab — FDA Managing Director, Rudolph J. Merab, Sr. The DayLight/Samuel Jabba

Zebra duiker

The Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area covers 27,645 hectares in Lofa County’s Ziama Clan. Started in 2013, the FDA works with Fauna & Flora (FFI), a UK-based NGO, to establish Wonegizi. Located along the Liberian-Guinean border, it is an important transboundary forest landscape with Guinea’s Biosphere Reserve.

Full of rocky terrain and lowland rainforests, Wonegizi is home to forest elephants, pygmy hippopotamuses, and the rare zebra duiker. It allows large mammals to migrate safely between the two countries, maintaining a range of diverse species across regional highlands.

The formation of Wonegizi is also meant to prepare communities for carbon trade with an estimated US$2.5 million community benefit annually, according to FFI.

“I am very pleased that we have come to this stage finally. It took a long process,” said Dr. Mary Molokwu-Odozi, FFI’s country director. “It will now be a smooth process going forward.”

Efforts to establish Kwa and Wonegizi have experienced challenges.

Kwa’s establishment has been stalled due to competing mining interests and agricultural activities. Between 2002 and 2025, Kwa lost 64,358 hectares or roughly 27 percent of its original size, leaving its current area at 171,020 hectares.

In June this year, citizens from Grand Gedeh’s Gbarzon District accused the FDA of illegally extending Kwa’s boundaries into farmlands and destroying their crops. President Joseph Boakai ordered an investigation into the matter.

Senator Augustine Chea of Sinoe County, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, called for caution.

“Consulting us is the right thing to do, but we must do this against the background that there are people who reside on the land, who have customary rights to the land,” said Chea. “Conservation is good, but survival is more important than conservation.”

Ancestral land deed

Meanwhile, Wonegizi’s establishment was delayed due to adjacent communities’ efforts to obtain ancestral land deeds. The communities finally obtained their deeds last year and earlier this year, thrusting the process forward.

Stakeholders also raised qualms about the human-elephant crisis in the region. In the last decade, elephants have raided towns and farms in the northwest in search of food. This has caused people to migrate to new areas.

“The elephant issue must be looked at as we don’t intend to harm them. Each and everyone’s interest must be protected in the process,” said Lavelah Massaquoi, the Superintendent of Lofa County.

The gazettement packages of the forest areas are expected to be presented to the Legislature for enactment. Once passed into law, they will be sent to the President for approval.

“We have done a lot, and we are now at the last stage of their establishment,” said Merab. “When we have finally passed the act that creates these areas, we will hope that you will support and ensure that it is not encroached upon.”

Yearly Archives: 2026

2. A legal definition of ‘forest‘

9. Stronger monitoring of forestry operations

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