Top: The Forestry Development Authority’s headquarters in Whein Town, Paynesville. The DayLight/James Harding Giahyue
By James Harding Giahyue
MONROVIA – A member of the Forestry Development Authority’s board of directors has resigned, following a DayLight investigation that established he received board-sitting fees through a proxy while residing in the United States of America.
“Yes, [Mr. Grigsby has resigned],” Loretta Pope-Kai, an FDA board director, told The DayLight.
“The board is yet to receive his replacement, and his proxy no longer attends meetings,” Mrs. Pope-Kai added.
The FDA did not immediately respond to queries for comment. However, two other persons, familiar with the board’s activities, confirmed the information.
Gabriel Sarkpa Flaboe, a project coordinator with the Ministry of Public Works, who served as Mr. Grigsby’s proxy, did not return questions on the matter. Efforts to contact Mr. Grigsby did materialize.
Per DayLight estimates, the New Jersey resident’s resignation saves over half a million Liberian dollars (US$2,925) for the FDA, which barely has money for fieldwork.
Before his resignation, Mr. Grigsby received L$131,625 periodically through Mr. Flaboe, who, board minutes show, made no contributions.
The amount was equivalent to US$500 for the board-sitting fee, US$50 for communication, and 25 gallons of fuel for transportation. The FDA Managing Director, Rudolph Merab, had approved Grigsby’s payment in May last year, according to official documents.
This was a production of the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ).
Top: Iroko logs on an open field outside of Greenville, Sinoe County. The DayLight/Derick Snyder
By Varney Kamara
MONROVIA – In this and the last three years, The DayLight published a series of reports, exposing a Nigerian-owned logging company’s offenses. Yet, the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) ignored each of the six investigations, approving the firm’s operations.
Over eight months after the newspaper’s last story, Iroko Timber and Logging Company has ceased operations. An FDA online portal identifies Iroko as “inactive.” The company is indebted to the Liberian government and the Central River Dugbe Community Forest in Sinoe, where it operated.
“There are signs that Iroko may not return to the community. As I speak, most of their workers are now working with different companies,” said Ernest Slah, a local leader, in a phone interview. “I am seriously disappointed because the community is still struggling to get its benefits after all these big promises.”
The story started in 2022 when Iroko signed a 15 -year logging contract with Central River Dugbe Community Forest to lease 13,193 hectares in exchange for schools, handpumps, and other benefits.
However, Iroko failed to live up to the agreement. It owes the villagers US$28,720.19 in land rental, harvesting and other fees, as well as projects, according to the community.
From their obligations to the community and the clearing of the logs from the forest, everything has been stalled since that time,” said Bartee Togba, Central River Dugbe’s chief officer. “They have still not paid the community debts they owed it.”
The FDA sanctioned Iroko’s export amid its indebtedness to the Central River Dugbe and the government, violating the Regulation on Forest Fees. The regulation requires that the FDA disapproves of an indebted company’s export.
A DayLight investigation found that a majority of the logs exported were illegally harvested and had been red-flagged by LiberTrace, the FDA tracking system.
Official records show that from July to August last year, Iroko paid the government US$173,432, covering export, land rental and other fees. The evidence, however, shows that the company owed the government US$16,263 in land rental fees.
That August, Iroko asked the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) to pay the balance due September and October, official records show.
“If we default on this agreement, our tax debt may be referred to the Ministry of Justice to sue for the unpaid tax and or court’s authorization to seize and sell our property,” read Iroko’s commitment.
The LRA agreed, but the money has not been paid, according to official records. Iroko and the LRA did not immediately respond to queries for comments.
A map of the Central River Dugbe Community Forest. Filed picture/Forestry Development Authority
Another DayLight investigation last year established that the FDA permitted Iroko to export abandoned logs without fining the firm. Thus, the government lost over US$100,000 in fines, based the Regulation on Abandoned Logs, Timber and Timber Products.
In fact, Iroko was not qualified for Central River Dugbe Community Forest due to its shareholder Timothy Odebunmi.
Odebunmi is also a shareholder in Akewa Group of Companies, which was fined US$1,000 for forging a tax clearance in 2019. The Regulation on Bidder Qualifications restricts a person who is part of a dishonest company from forestry activities for five years.
Back in Sinoe, Togba and other locals brace for a court action.
“It is a sad thing to hear this because Iroko is still obligated to the community. It owes the community numerous benefits that have not been settled,” said Togba.
“If the company decides to close and leave the community without settlement, we will use the law to demand our social and financial benefits.”
This was a production of the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ) production.
Top: An operator in a Sinoe County Forest in 2017. Picture credit: James Harding Giahyue
By Varney Kamara
MONROVIA – Forestry authorities have approved a logging contract for African Finch Logging Limited, despite the company’s unknown ownership and link to a Sinoe lawmaker.
Following The DayLight series in April and May, African Finch operations appeared to have been temporarily halted. However, some five months later, it is on the verge of harvesting logs in the 18,000-hectare forest.
In a video, an African Finch earthmover is seen making a road in the Numopoh Community Forest, while two Asian men supervise. Also, Forestry Development Authority (FDA) records show that the company paid US$500 for timber identification tags.
This development indicates that the FDA and the Liberia Business Registry ignored findings of a DayLight series of the company’s illegalities.
The DayLight series found that the African Finch did not declare its owners, a legal requirement. The Business Association Law and the Beneficial Ownership Regulation require all firms to declare their ultimate beneficial owners, the people who own them. Meant to combat financial crimes and conflicts of interest, the regulation requires firms to disclose politically exposed persons.
Also, The DayLight found that African Finch forged a UAE certificate, which it used to register in Liberia.
The document in question contains a passport with the identification number 167557. However, using artificial intelligence and manual checks, reporters determined the passport did not match known samples of a UAE passport. UAE passport numbers typically consist of eight digits, including letters, and not six as on African Finch’s document.
Second, the certificate was issued by the UAE’s free-trading zone on August 11, 2020. This establishes that the certificate had expired for nearly four years when African Finch used it to register in Liberia last year.
The evidence suggests that the forgers intended to use 2020 to make the document appear legitimate. However, what they apparently did not realize was that a UAE certificate typically lasts for only a year.
The DayLight found another inconsistency in African Finch’s purported UAE certificate. The document lacks QR codes and barcodes, key features on known UAE business certificates for verifying a company’s legal status.
Hidden ownership
In its underhand filing in Liberia, African Finch names Finch General Trading, registered in the UAE free-trade zone, as its parent company. The UAE free-trade zone is a red flag in itself, a haven for shell companies to avoid taxes and conceal their ownership.
But reporters established that Finch General is not even recorded in the UAE free-trade zone registry. Similarly, checks in the UAE official, general database yielded no results. Further checks in the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) Aleph, one of the world’s largest databases of companies, were the same.
Now, reporters turned to Finch General’s website, which is hosted by NameSilo, known to hide firms’ identities. Turns out the address on that website belongs to another company, while verification directs users to an unofficial site. Finch General restricted access to the website following The DayLight series.
Faking the UAE document constitutes forgery, a crime under Liberian law. Moreover, using that document to obtain a forestry contract constitutes perjury or lying under oath, according to the Regulation on Bidder Qualifications.
The African Finch did not respond to queries about its concealed ownership and forged documents, and maintained that posture throughout.
A copy of African Finch’s forged UAE business certificate on the right and a sample of a genuine Emeriti business certificate
“We don’t have any response for you,” Kwadjo Asabre, an official of the company, said in April. “We do not support mischief and dishonest publications. It’s cowardice.
“Don’t text me again.”
Similarly, the FDA and the Liberia Business Registry did not return questions about African Finch’s shadowy ownership and fake credentials. The newspaper has now filed a freedom of information request with the FDA, the beginning of a legal procedure.
Link to a Lawmaker
In August last year, the FDA approved Numopoh Community Forest’s request to terminate its contract with Delta Timber Corporation. Numopoh and Delta had signed the deal in 2016. Delta, owned by Gabriel Doe, a former presidential adviser during the Charles Taylor regime, had had unsettled debt and abandoned thousands of logs to rot.
After terminating Delta’s contract, Numopoh signed an MoU with African Finch—but not without the help of Representative Romeo Quioh of Sinoe’s District #1.
The DayLight series revealed that Quioh allegedly coerced and bribed locals into signing the deal the same day it was introduced, violating their right to consent. Townsfolk claimed he directly and indirectly gave them L$3,000 and L$5,000. A townsman said he walked out of the signing ceremony in disagreement with Quioh.
Townspeople alleged Quioh brought African Finch to Numopoh in fulfillment of an election pledge to bring jobs to his constituency.
“This whole thing is part of that big promise he made to the community during the campaign,” said Alex Sanwon, a prominent Johnny Town resident.
The series determined Quioh was involved in a conflict of interest due to his connection with African Finch, a breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officials.
Asabre, the African Finch executive, at least confirmed Quioh’s control of the company. He had told The DayLight in April to “Speak to [the] Hon” in response to company-related queries.
In an April Facebook post, Quioh denied that he had coerced or bribed the townspeople, but admitted to having a connection with the company.
“As… a member of the advisory board of the Board of Directors of African Finch Incorporation, my involvement in forestry-related matters is strictly within the confines of my legislative oversight responsibilities,” said Quioh in the post.
Representative Thomas Remeo Quioh converses with an African Finch executive in Numopoh. Picture credit: Anonymous
Quioh’s admission added to African Finch’s hidden human owners and the company’s unproven UAE status, leaving more questions than answers.
But before the dust settled on his admission, Quioh retracted his comments. He now claimed he had mistakenly written African Finch in the Facebook post, instead of Numopoh. He would omit “African Finch” and add “community forest management committee” to revise his rebuttal.
But the evidence contradicts Quioh’s claim. He mentioned multiple times in the Facebook post that he was an African Finch advisor, which is inconsistent with a mistake.
There were other inconsistencies in his retraction, too. A community forest management committee or an adviser does not exist in community forestry. What exists is an executive committee that supervises the daily activities of a community forest, of which a lawmaker is a member.
When contacted on African Finch’s operations amid its legal woes, Quioh declined to speak.
“Nothing… take any action deemed appropriate,” he said, before pulling a page from Asabre’s playbook. “Going forward, please don’t ever call me on any issues regarding African Finch and its activities.”
Illegal extension
The investigation revealed that the FDA extended the community forest from 7,200 hectares to 18,000 hectares without the participation of Numopoh’s neighbors, Tartweh, Wedjah and Wolee.
Excluding neighboring communities from the expansion violates the Community Rights Law of 2009. The law requires the FDA to notify affected communities, make radio announcements, and set aside 30 days for Numopoh and its neighbors to cut their boundaries and map Numopoh’s forestland. There is no evidence that those conditions were met.
A pictorial view of the Numopoh Community Forest in Sinoe County, southeastern Liberia. The DayLight/Derick Snyder
Kwankon Saytue of Tartweh-Drapoh Community Forest said, “I only got to know about the expansion from the signed MoU when somebody posted it on social media.”
Wolee, one of three sections making up the Du-Wolee Township in the Kpayan District, is taking action against the arbitrary extension. Numopoh and Du-Wolee are already locked in a decade-long dispute over a 463-hectare farmland, all three communities are claiming.
“We have protested about infringement on our land, and we asked them to stop,” said Abel Nyenswah, sectional head of Wolee. “The forest area the company entered belongs to us, but they are still paying deaf ears.”
Sam Kandie, a Numopoh forest leader, refuted Nyenswah’s comments, saying Numopoh had no forest boundary with Wolee. “It is a land boundary they have with Numopoh, not a forest boundary.” He did not address comments from Tartweh-Drapoh and Wedjah.
This story was a Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia production.
Top: A footpath inside the Lower Wedjah Community Forest. The DayLight/ Esau J. Farr
By Esau J. Farr
GBOYEE TOWN; DIYANKPO, Sinoe County – In June, the people in Wedjah District signed an agreement with an NGO to protect 7,131 hectares of forest for yearly cash and other benefits.
“We have been waiting for this day to come for so many years,” said Savior Nyenbe, an elder of Soloe Town in Wedjah.
Two days later, the Jaedae District signed a similar agreement to keep 43,543 hectares of forest.
“I want to say that the people of Jaedae wholeheartedly welcome the [agreement],” said Mark Toe, a local leader in Jaedae.
The Lower Wedjah and Jaedea agreements are the first of a revolutionary approach to forest conservation in which communities receive funds for keeping their forests standing. A Paynesville-based NGO, Integrated Development and Learning (IDL), is championing the payment for stewardship.
“The agreement does not just deliver money to the community, it puts the community in charge of its own development agenda and priorities,” said Silas Siakor, IDL’s Executive Director.
Communities own about 75 percent of Liberia’s forest. This puts local people at the core of conservation in a country that holds the largest portion of West Africa’s remaining rainforests.
The Wedjah and Jaedae agreements are a two-year trial, with a possible 25-year extension. During this time, IDL will pay Wedjah and Jaedae a combined US$152,022, with the former receiving US$21,392 and the latter US$130,630. The first tranche would arrive this week, Siakor said.
In exchange, local people in Wedjah and Jaedae will not mine, farm, log, or build homes in their forests. They will, however, be allowed to harvest trees and other things for local development during the lifespan of the agreement.
Both communities have a rich biodiversity. Wedjah is home to several wildlife species, including chimpanzees. There are also important tree species. Jaedae, on the other hand, is part of the proposed Grand Kru-River Gee Protected Area, home to several species in West Africa.
During the trial, trained local volunteers or forest guards will conduct monthly forest monitoring. Over the years, illicit activities have undermined conservation efforts in Lake Piso, Nitrian Community Forest and the Sapo National Park next door. A Forestry Development Authority team has traveled to Sinoe this week to train the guards. Monitoring is expected to start early next week.
Siakor believes this will not repeat in Wedjah and Jaedae. Instead, it will increase the number of protected forest areas and prevent encroachment on those forests, he says.
“It also provides an opportunity for partnership between the community and the Wardens at Sapo, and guarantees community support for protection for the next two years.”
The trial comes at a time when commercial logging continues to fail communities. Wedja and Daedae’s neighbors, Sewacajua, Numopoh and the Central River Dugbe community forests have their share of the bad experiences.
A portion of the Jaedae District forest is in the background of a farm in Diyankpo. The DayLight/Esau Farr
Also, the Burkinabé cocoa crisis in the southeast is a new challenge for conservation.
However, evidence shows that community-based conservation programs work. There are programs similar to the one in Wedjah and Jaedae elsewhere in Salayea, Lofa, Zor, Nimba, and Central Morweh, River Cess.
Campaigners say putting locals in charge of forest conservation will help Liberia meet its climate commitments, including cutting deforestation by 50 percent in 2030. Global Forest Watch, an institution that tracks deforestation, reports Liberia lost 162,000 ha of natural forest in 2024, equivalent to 104,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
“This initiative represents a significant step forward in forest conservation efforts,” says Andrew Zelemen, a leader of the National Union of Community Forestry Development Committees. “For too long, forest communities have not received direct compensation for their role in preserving these critical ecosystems.”
This story was a production of the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ).
Top: A Sapo National Park signboard in Cherue Town, Sinoe County. The DayLight/Carlucci Cooper
By Varney Kamara
JAYLAY TWON, Sinoe County – The government should arm 250 rangers to protect the Sapo National Park from illegal occupants, John Smith, the reserve’s Chief Warden, has said.
Spanning over 180,000 hectares across Grand Gedeh, River Gee, and Sinoe Counties, Sapo Park is Liberia’s largest natural reserve. However, only 30 law enforcement rangers man it.
“The size of the forest tells us that the number is insufficient to protect an area of this magnitude,” Smith told a DayLight interview in Jaylay Town, the rangers’ headquarters. “This has compelled the need to increase the force so that we can effectively deal with the situation on the ground.”
Established in 1983, the Sapo National Park is a global biodiversity hotspot, sheltering 125 mammal species and 590 bird species, including several endangered species. It is the second-largest rainforest in West Africa after the Tai National Forest in neighboring Ivory Coast.
However, the park faces environmental threats from illegal logging, agricultural expansion, and mining. There are 13 known illegal mining camps in the park, predominantly occupied by miners from the West African sub-region – Mali, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Guinea, the report found. A 2012 report found weak monitoring and poor boundary awareness among miners as key challenges.
In May 2017, a mob of local rioters killed a ranger and severely injured four others. It took armed anti-riot police to bring the situation under control.
Taylor Kaydee, an FDA-assigned ranger in Chebioh Town, the setting of the 2017 violence, said rangers were attacked often. About a year ago, he and other rangers were attacked after they arrested some illegal miners in the park. A court in Juarzon intervened for their handcuffs to be retrieved.
A drone shot of a portion of the Sapo National Park. The DayLight/Carlucci Cooper
“How do you go to arrest somebody who has arms in a jungle terrain of this nature, but you, who are the law enforcer, don’t have arms?” Smith asked rhetorically. Smith added that it was impractical for unarmed rangers to protect the park against its illegal occupants, armed with single-barrelled guns.
Security actors have been critical of arming rangers for the two decades that followed since Liberia’s civil wars ended in 2003. Critics fear arming forest rangers could lead to abuse of power, violence, and undermine reform efforts.
Smith disagrees. He believes sufficient law enforcement rangers must be trained, armed, and deployed not to shoot people but perform their tasks in line with the law.
“It is a sustainable approach that speaks to the longstanding difficulties we face over the years. We need the manpower, training, and logistics to support our security plans and operations.”
Top: A drone picture of the Sapo National Park. The DayLight/Carlucci Cooper
By Varney Kamara and Philip Quwebin
CHEBIOH TOWN, Sinoe County –WhenAndrew Saye learned that security forces wanted him out of the Sapo National Park, he grew nervous. He was in for a big surprise.
Joint security forces, including the soldiers, police officers and forest rangers, removed Saye without using any force. He was among some 2,000 illegal occupants, predominantly miners, who were removed from the park earlier last month.
“They talked to us well,” said Saye, who stayed seven months in Sapo. He spoke in an interview in Chebioh Town, one of the communities adjacent to the park. “They did not beat us.”
It signals improved relations between the government and local communities. Conflicts between communities and the government over illegal activities in the park have resulted in deaths and injuries. In May 2017, a mob of local rioters killed a ranger and severely injured four others. In retaliation, state security forces moved into the area, killing one townsman and arresting several others.
Joint security forces have peacefully removed about 2,000 occupants from the Sapo National Park in Sinoe County. Picture credit: James Giahyue
Established in 1983, Sapo National Park is Liberia’s first and largest reserve, spanning over 180,000 hectares across Grand Gedeh, River Gee, and Sinoe Counties. It is a global biodiversity hotspot, sheltering 125 mammal species and 590 bird species, including several endangered species.
However, it faces threats from illegal logging, farming, and mining, according to a 2012 report.
Last month, a joint security team expelled the occupants from “Camp America,” one of 13 known settlements in the park. “Operation Restore Hope IV” safeguards the park and combats illegal migration in the southeast. It also addresses financial and wildlife crimes, as well as human and drug trafficking.
After their deployment, the security team held mass meetings with community members and sent messages to camp masters, giving them a two-week ultimatum to vacate the park. Then they set up bases in Korjahyee, John Wolo Village, and Nyennawliken in Sinoe, Grand Gedeh, and River Gee, respectively.
“We are working cooperatively and removing them from the park,” John Smith, Sapo’s Chief Park Warden. The move was meant to improve relations between adjacent communities and security forces, added Smith.
After the ultimate expired, people still fanned around. So, the joint security forces blocked the park’s entrances, which compelled some occupants to vacate.
Next, the team walked nine hours into Camp America to remove the remaining occupants. There, they assembled occupants, explained their mission, and profiled the occupants. Then the exodus began.
A man stands next to the grave of Friday Pyne, a ranger with the Forestry Development Authority. Pyne was killed in 2017 by a mob of local rioters. Picture credit: James Giahyue
“There was no food or goods in the area. So, after that, we all left and came out of the bush,” Shedrach Pyne. He—no relation to the late Friday Pyne—had spent a month mining gold in the park.
The security forces searched the occupants. Female soldiers searched the woman, while the male soldiers searched the men.
They seized illicit drugs and a bottle of mercury, according to an unpublished report of the operation, seen by The DayLight. No arrests were made, as illegal miners were allowed to take their belongings, including water pump machines.
Joint security forces then demolished the makeshift structures the miners had used to pillage the reserve.
Security forces are now preparing to clear the remaining camps in the park.
Top: Marijuana joint security forces seized from illicit miners in the Sapo National Park. Filed picture/Joint Security
By Varney Kamara
KORJAYEE, Sinoe County – Joint security forces have seized a slew of banned substances from illegal occupants in the Sapo National Park, dismantling a major, decades-long illicit drug hub.
Last month, soldiers, police, anti-drug agents, border officers, and forest rangers deployed at “Camp America,” one of the 13 known illegal settlements in the park. So far, some 2,000 people have been removed from the area, and with them an array of drugs from occupants.
“The place is a lawless ground where people are getting drunk with harmful drugs in the camps,” said John Smith, the park’s manager, in an interview with The DayLight in Jaylay Town. “We also heard stories about people getting intoxicated, and a few death cases relating to harmful drugs in the camps.”
Drug abuse is one of the adverse impacts of mining on communities. However, this is the first time the ones associated with the Sapo park, West Africa’s second-largest rainforest, have come to light. Pictures of the seizure in an unpublished official report, seen by DayLight, show heroin, marijuana, tramadol, and the deadly Kush. An unpublished joint security report, seen by The DayLight, said occupants practiced “immoral and cruel acts far away from human civilization.”
Top and here: Several grams of heroin, commonly called Italian white or tar, were seized by joint security forces in the Sapo National Park in August. Filed picture: Joint Security Team
The park’s drug trade is being fueled by Nigerians, Sierra Leoneans, and other nationalities, using land and water routes, according to residents and ex-park occupants alike. Drugs are smuggled into the park at night, eluding rangers.
Many illegal occupants are hooked on drugs, according to ex-occupants DayLight interviewed. After taking in the harmful substance, they bleed from their noses and mouths. In some cases, they die from an overdose.
“Our children are spoiled with drugs. As a mother of three boy children, I am saddened by the pictures I saw in the camp. When I see a boy child smoking and think about kids, it makes me feel so bad,” said Beatrice Giddings, who ran a business in the 1,804-square-kilometer park. Giddings was speaking to reporters in Korjayee, where the joint security is based, and one of the entrances to the forest.
An AFL soldier searches women for contraband. Filed picture/Joint Security Team
Leaked videos obtained by The DayLight corroborate Giddings’ comments. In one of the videos, a young man is seen crying and begging for mercy while being tied. His cries, however, fall on deaf ears, as his torturers ordered that he be given kush instead. A deadly mixture of chemicals, kush kills about a dozen weekly and hospitalizes thousands in neighboring Sierra Leone. It has wreaked havoc in Liberia since its introduction four years ago.
Nixon Browne, chairman of the Movement for Citizen Action, which advocates for the park’s protection, said people have made illegal drugs a permanent business in the park.
“The camps are a major hideout for this kind of criminal business that the guys need to support their habit,” said Browne. “There are other people who want to live in the camps because there is a drug there.”
Top: Some of the over 2,000 illegal occupants the Armed Forces of Liberia removed from the Sapo National Park in Sinoe County, so far. Filed pictures/Joint Security Forces
By James Harding Giahyue
Monrovia – Joint security forces have removed over 2,000 illegal occupants from the Sapo National Park in a crackdown on transnational crimes and regional insecurity.
A report on “Operation Restore Hope IV,” seen by The DayLight, said the forces had full control over “Camp America,” one of the park’s 13 illegal settlements. It said soldiers had set up camps at one location each in Sinoe, Grand Gedeh and River Gee.
“People were processed into two categories to exit the park: women and children first and then men,” the report said. “The men were also placed into categories to exit the park in order not to overwhelm the officers escorting them out of the park.” The report said some of the illegal occupants fled the camp.
The report said a gradual and humane approach was required to remove the occupants because many had stayed there for over a decade. All entrances to the camp have been shut down, with only people exiting the park allowed, it added.
Over 200 officers walked for nine hours to Camp America in the 697-square-mile Sapo. There, they demolished structures and mines, and seized illegal items before amicably removing occupants.
Pictures in the report show illicit drugs, a bottle of mercury and a single-barreled gun. One picture shows soldiers standing before a crowd of cooperative occupants, with tarpaulin-roofed huts in the background.
Security forces observed that occupants used only the L$500 and L$1,000 notes, with the report calling for an anti-money laundering investigation.
The report also cited a high level of prostitution, human trafficking and cruel acts, which are “far from human civilization.”
Established in 1983, the Sapo National Park is the largest in Liberia and the second largest in the Mano River region. It is home to a variety of endangered species, including African elephants, pygmy hippopotamuses, and western chimpanzees. With the highest diversity of mammal species, it is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.
However, the park has been plagued by illegal activities for decades.
Illegal occupants leave the Sapo National Park in August. Filed picture/Joint Security
The operation is the largest since United Nations peacekeepers removed 5,000 occupants in the 2000s, marking the end of Liberia’s civil wars. It’s part of broader efforts to combat illegal cross-border activities, illicit financial flows, and the influx of undocumented migrants into southeastern Liberia. Immigration authorities have recorded over 54,000 Burkinabés in the region, an EU envoy linked to a Sahel migrant crisis.
In all, the joint security, comprising soldiers, policemen, border guards, rangers and anti-drug agents, intend to remove an estimated 15,000. They are expected to move to the other 12 known camps, including the most infamous Camps Afghanistan and Iraq.
Top: C&C Corporation’s truckload of timber leaves Vambo Township in mid-March. The DayLight/Ojuku Kangar
ByEmmanuel Sherman
MONROVIA – The Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and a logging company have asked the Commercial Court at the Temple of Justice to dismiss a US$5 million lawsuit against them for alleged damage to 3,200 acres of land in Grand Bassa County.
Khalil Haider, a Paynesville resident, claims that the FDA authorized C&C Corporation to harvest logs on the plot without his consent. He further alleges that the FDA honored a letter that forged Haider’s signature, ignoring his warning and approving C&C’s operations.
The land in question lies between the St. John River and Mt. Findley in the Vambo Township of Grand Bassa’s Compound Number Two.
The defendants challenged Haider’s claim and questioned the procedure through which he filed the lawsuit.
In its response, the FDA questioned the validity of Haider’s deed. The regulator argued that it was unlikely a deed was signed in 1958, 111 years after Liberia gained independence in 1847.
“Haider is a fabricator who would go to any length to tarnish the reputation of individuals managing the forestry sector, as evidenced by his assertions, which are all lies,” read the regulator’s petition.
The FDA added that Haider should have filed the lawsuit in his mother’s name instead of his own name. It denies receiving any communication from Haider, warning it about an alleged fake letter.
C&C’s only argument was about Haider filing the lawsuit in his name. It cited the Decedents Estate Law, a 1956 act that requires children to represent their late parents.
It is the prayer of [C&C Corporation] to dismiss [Haider’s] motion because it lacks legal basis,” the company’s petition read.
Haider’s counterargument
Haider insists on his US$5 million damages in his response to the FDA and C&C.
Khalil Haider. Picture credit: Khalil Haider
Haider counterargued that the FDA questioning of his deed’s validity was “unintelligible and lacked legal coherence.
“If counsel argument is that a deed executed in 1958 is invalid merely because Liberia gained its independence in 1847, such reason is unfounded,” read Haider’s response. “By that logic, all subsequent land transactions would be inherently fraudulent, which is patently absurd.”
On his lawsuit procedure, Haider said that Decedents Estate Law C&C referenced empowered him to sue in his name. He said his petition recognized his late mother as owner of the property. Haider’s response referenced a 1983 case and two 2001 cases.
“In view of the above, I pray respectfully that the Honorable Court deny Defendant’s request for dismissal,” said Haider, “as said request lacks legal merit.”
This story was a Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ).
Top: A log yard outside Greenville, Sinoe County. The DayLight/Derick Snyder
By Varney Kamara
MONROVIA – Forestry actors in Liberia are calling for amendments to the regulation on benefit-sharing to enhance communities’ share of resources generated from the sector.
They spoke recently at a national conference that brought together representatives from civil society, environmental groups, lawyers, and the government. The change would improve governance, transparency, and accountability, and ultimately lead to better sector performance, they said.
“The idea is to ensure that we carry out a broader reform that includes other sectors that are important to leverage development across communities,” said Silas Siakor, lead campaigner at Integrated Development and Learning, which promotes development across communities.
“We are only looking back to see where we can strengthen the existing frameworks to move forward,” Siakor added.
The law mandates that 30 percent of logging revenue from land rental be allotted to affected communities. A 2011 regulation also requires openness, transparency, accountability, and community participation in the management of forest resources.
Both the law and regulation empower the Trust to collect communities’ shares, consult with local land management committees, and identify and approve projects to be implemented within specific timeframes.
As of December 2024, the board had completed 44 projects across communities, including schools, clinics, and the rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads.
Despite progress, several challenges remain. The board continues to struggle to deliver quality services. Its implementation outputs are weak, hampered by limited capacity and compliance issues.
However, with the right reforms, combined with a more resilient internal structure, sector leaders believe these challenges can be overcome.
To achieve this, they have proposed revisions to include mining and representatives of other sectors on the Trust. Other proposed changes include the election of the trust’s president and a provision allowing it to seek continuous donor support to ensure regular audits.
“During the discussion, we agreed that the board needs to improve its capacity, outsource contracts, and conduct regular audits to ensure transparency and accountability,” said Renee Gibson, an official of the Rural Integrated Center for Community Empowerment.
At the close of the meeting, delegates agreed to submit a proposed plan of action to the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) following a review process that will finalize its details within three weeks.
