Community, Family Fight over Forest

October 20, 2025

Top: Smith Sulonteh is claiming a portion of the Salayea Community Forest, including where he makes charcoal and planks. The DayLight/T. Prince Mulbah

By Prince Mulbah

SALAYEA, Lofa County – Last year, townsmen were stunned when they discovered a huge pile of planks and the sound of a chainsaw deep in the forest in Gorlu during a routine patrol. When local guardians investigated, they found that a man was making planks and burning charcoal in the forest.

Angered by Smith Sulonteh’s actions, the community forest sued them at the Salayea Magisterial Court. It would turn out to be the beginning of a legal battle that has pitted the family against the community.

“We are managing this forest for the future generation, so we cannot allow a family just to come and claim the forest themselves,” said Yassah Mulbah, Salayea’s chief officer, outside of the courtroom.

“If they had their deed, they should have made it available during the establishment of the forest. The establishment of the forest was all on the radio; everyone knew about it,” added Mulbah. She was referring to a 30 or 90-day required period for a person with a private land claim to register their claim before a community forest is authorized.

However, Mr. Sulonteh said they decided not to make any claims at the time, based on their lawyer’s advice. He said their families purchased 2,244.27 acres or nearly 11 percent of the forest from chiefs and elders in 1967. He presented the families’ deed to the court, case files show.

“These people are claiming our land because they have few local authorities of Gorlu who are supporting them,” said Solunteh. If it is for this land business, they will kill me. I’m ready to die fighting for my rights, but our side is the law and the law is for everybody.”

A charcoal mass production machine with some processed coals in bags, Mr. Solunteh produced. The DayLight/T. Prince Mulbah

Lawsuits

Salayea Community Forest was established in 2019, comprising six communities: Salayea, Yarpuah, Telemu, Gorlu, Ganglota and Beyan’s Town. It covers 8,270 hectares of rocky forestland in the Salayea, Lofa County, and is home to species, including monkeys, pangolins, and elephants.

Since its formation, Salayea has been involved conservation programs, including animal husbandry, village saving loan schemes, a mini-wood shop and Cocoa farming. It outlawed hunting, mining and other commercial activities.

Following Salayea’s lawsuit, the Salayea Magisterial Court imposed a stay order on Mr. Solunteh’s plank and charcoal. The court would later fine him for violating that order.

During courtroom proceedings, Mr. Solunteh presented a deed to the court to back his claim. The court handed the document to Salayea to verify at the Center for National Documents and Records Agency in Monrovia.

Mr. Solunteh disagreed with that judgment and filed a petition with the 10^th Judicial Circuit Court in Voinjama to overturn the lower court’s decision.

The circuit court sided with Mr. Solunteh, according to the case files. The higher court reprimanded the lower court for not verifying the families’ deed itself, and for fining Mr. Sulonteh. The higher court then lifted the stay order on his activities in a March 18 verdict.

Three months later, Lofa County Attorney Cllr. Luther Sumo re-imposed the stay order following complaints from chiefs and elders of Gorlu. This term, Sumo sent in the police to enforce the stay.

“I have received several phone calls and complaints from the commissioner that the chiefs have threatened that if they cannot stop the pit-sawing and charcoal burning, they are going to protest and take unspecified actions, which we do not want,” Sumo said in a telephone interview.

“If I sit here and allow things to go off hand, who will be blamed at the end of the day… and we do not want chaos in our communities in Lofa.”

Piles of planks in the Salayea Community Forest. The DayLight/T. Prince Mulbah

Despite Mr. Sumo’s order, Mr. Sulonteh continued to operate, sticking with the circuit court’s decision. Only the court could tell him to stop, not any individual.

His insistence fueled the townspeople’s anger. In July, Gorlu townsmen stopped him from transporting planks from the area, seizing a truckload of wood that was headed to Monrovia because he was defying the County Attorney’s stay mandate.

Mr. Sulonteh sued the townsmen for alleged “menacing, theft of property and disorderly conduct.” However, the Salayea Magisterial Court dismissed the case, citing a lack of evidence, court filings show.

After the September 11, Mr. Sulonteh halted his operations—for the time being.

“Presently, we are not doing anything in the forest,” he told The DayLight. “We are running after some documents for the same land in question to allow our lawyer to advise us on the next action to take.”

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

Fact-checking Spoon Talk Concession Claims

October 15, 2025

Top: A drone shot of a Greenville, Sinoe County beach. The DdayLight/Derick Snyder

By Varney Kamara

MONROVIA – Recently on Spoon Talk, Moriah Yeakula-Korkpor, an executive of the Alternative National Congress, claimed that President Joseph Boakai signed several bogus concessions while serving as vice president during the 2000s and 2010s. Ambulah Mamay, another panelist on the show, disputed Korkpor’s claim, prompting this fact-check.

“The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf government, with Boakai serving as Vice President, signed 66 bogus concessions, heavily criticized by the public. He signed them,” said Mrs. Korkpor.

Mr. Mamey disagreed. “There have never been 66 bogus concession agreements in Liberia, and there are no bogus concessions signed in Liberia,” he said.

To fact-check both comments, The DayLight analyzed Korkpor’s claim by breaking down her use of the phrase “66 bogus concessions” into two parts, using official documents. First, we fact-checked whether the figure was correct as it constituted a significant part of her claim, and then looked up the remaining phrase “bogus concessions.”

We determined whether Mrs. Korkpor’s claim could be traced to any public or official records, an essential principle for fact-checking. After a thorough search, we found that her statement was based on an audit report by the London-based Moore Stephens (now Moore Global), commissioned by the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) in November 2012 and published in May 2013.

The audit covered the forestry, agriculture, mining, and oil/gas sectors between 2009 and 2011, assessing the legal compliance of the processes through which the contracts were awarded.

What did we find

Our fact-check found Korkpor’s claim that two out of 66 concessions were “bogus” to be incorrect. The audit report established that 68 concessions, contracts, and licenses were awarded. Of that number, only six were compliant, 25 were partially compliant, 35 were non-compliant, and two had limitations of scope.

Moore Stephens defined “Compliant” where it “did not note several instances of non-compliance.” It defined “partially compliant” as “when the instances of non-compliance encountered were not material to the extent that the whole process was deficient.” It defined non-compliant as “major departure from relevant legislation,” and “limitations of scope” where Moore Stephens did not receive documents on the award process.

A sand mining site in Sinoe County. The DayLight/Derick Snyder

Those findings establish that Mr. Mamey’s counterclaim against Mrs. Korkpor is correct. There were 68 contracts, not 66; and six compliant contracts, not two.

Also, Mr. Mamey’s rebuttal of Mrs. Korkpor’s claim of bogus concessions was factual. In fact-checking this, The DayLight researched several references, including the Black’s Law dictionary, a world leader in legal terminology. It defined “bogus” as “anything phony or fictitious.”

That definition did not align with Moore Stephens’ descriptions of “partially compliant” and “non-compliant,” the phrases relevant to the debate. Though the audit was conclusive about 64 problematic contracts, it does not necessarily mean they were bogus. For a concession, contract, or license to be declared bogus, there must be strong evidence of fabrication.

Thousands Flood Victims in Robertsport Face Relocation

October 13, 2025

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Top: Aerial view of Fanti Town, one of the two most affected communities in Robertsport. Carlucci Cooper/ DayLight

By Carlucci Cooper

ROBERTSPORT, Cape Mount – One quiet night in Kru Town last year, Rebecca Wleh woke to cold water above her knees. Within minutes, the flood had invaded her home, swallowing everything, including the mat on which her son, who has cerebral palsy, lay.

She resettled in Popo Town, hoping for safety. But disaster struck again earlier this year, flooding her new home and destroying the little she had rebuilt.

Wleh is one of thousands of residents in Robertsport, particularly in Kru Town and Fanti Town, who authorities say must relocate. Authorities say it is the best solution for a recurring nightmare.

“The county authorities have provided around 25 acres of land between Sembehun and Latiah to relocate communities at higher risk of flooding,” said Aaron Sambolah, Grand Cape Mount County’s Development Superintendent.

Authorities say the floods, which affected at least 15 communities, are caused by sea erosion and garbage. Both block an estuary commonly referred to as the “bar mouth,” where Lake Piso, Liberia’s largest lake, meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Sea erosion in coastal Liberia is driven by rising sea levels, increasing temperatures, and heavy rainfall. A 2017 climate risk profile found that for a one-meter rise in sea levels, Robertsport, Buchanan, Monrovia and other places will be underwater, losing US$250 million.

On the other hand, local communities dispose of their garbage in the lake, clogging the bar mouth. This prevents Lake Piso from discharging into the ocean, causing the Mole Creek and Mafa River, which flow into the lake, to overflow their banks and inundate nearby communities.

Devastating

Since 2023, flash floods have repeatedly hit Robertsport and other parts of Gola Konneh District. Over 1,000 households, especially those living in wetland and riverside or lakeside communities, have been affected in Robertsport and Monrovia, according to the International Federation of the Red Cross.

A drone shot of the estuary, where Lake Piso meets the Atlantic Ocean in Robertsport. DayLight/Carlucci Cooper

Six of Robertsport’s eight communities were impacted, with Fanti Town and Kru Town—where Wleh lives— among the worst-hit. Families were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night, leaving behind their belongings. Vulnerable groups were most affected, the Red Cross reported.

Public facilities like schools and city halls were converted into temporary shelters. However, these quickly became overcrowded, and limited access to clean water, sanitation, and basic supplies created further hardship.

Beyond health and sanitation, the economic toll has been severe, particularly for those in the fishing industry, a primary livelihood in the city. Fishermen reported damage to boats, nets, and fishing grounds. Fishmongers lost their entire stock to water damage.

“When we got there, it was devastating. The place was so flooded that even our rainboots were filled with water,” says Alice Kemokai, Youth and Volunteer Focal Person for the Liberia National Red Cross Society.

“People had nowhere to sleep, and the painful part was seeing pregnant women, mothers with babies, the elderly, and people with disabilities fighting to survive,” adds Kemokai.

The Red Cross has provided emergency shelter, food, and non-food items such as pots, mats, and buckets. Local authorities have also contributed US$10,000 to support immediate relief efforts. Additionally, funding from ECOWAS is expected to provide US$250 each to over 500 victims of last year’s flood.

Despite these, officials reckon that humanitarian assistance is unsustainable and relocation is the best solution. In 2023, they secured the land in Sembehum, some seven kilometers from Robertsport.

“We recommend relocation, especially for communities along the ocean,” says Sando Kamara, Coordinator at the National Disaster Management Agency. “It will help curtail flooding, since people in Fanti Town often dump waste into the lake, clogging the bar mouth.”

Development Superintendent Sambolah agrees with Kamara. “The intent is not to relocate Robertsport itself, one of our national heritage sites. It is to move affected communities to prevent future casualties,” he says.

The Group of 77, a government-run agency that supports people with disabilities, is advocating for a location favorable for children like Wleh’s son, who has issues with movement.

Relocation will add a new page to Robertsport’s impressive history.

People walk in floodwater in Fanti Town, Robertsport, earlier this year. Filed picture/Group of 77

Built on a hilltop, Robertsport overlooks the vibrant Atlantic Ocean, Lake Piso, and a massive mangrove reserve.

Robertsport was founded in 1856 by freed African Americans, and its colonial-style buildings and cultural ties to the U.S. remain visible. It was named after Joseph Jenkins Roberts, Liberia’s first president, and had been discovered by Portuguese navigator Pedro de Sintra in 1462. Destroyed during Liberia’s civil wars, the city has become a symbol of resilience through eco-tourism and fisheries.

Residents like Wleh are willing to leave the city’s impressive history behind to escape the floodwaters.

“Anywhere the government wants to carry us, I’m willing. I’m tired. The cold is killing us. My son’s condition is my greatest worry,” says Wleh.

Joseph Ajane, a fisherman from Kru Town, is prepared to resettle in Sembehum or elsewhere.

A drone shot of Robertsport city overlooking Lake Piso and the Atlantic Ocean. DayLight /Carlucci Cooper

“If the government or any NGO wants to relocate us, we will be happy. Even though it will be challenging for me as a fisherman to live far from the sea, I have other skills I can survive on,” such as masonry.

Others, like Amie Fahnbulleh, a fishmonger, worry that relocation could separate them from their livelihoods. After losing her business and savings to the floods, she fears relocation will be difficult.

“We want the government to help us with money to fix our homes. We cannot relocate to somewhere far because it will give us a hard time to buy, sell and dry our fish,” says Fahnbulleh.

Some residents propose relocating inland during the floods and returning afterward.

Fishmonger Beatrice Botoe supports this idea.

“If the government and other organizations can come in to help us, this will be very good for us who are living here. We will only be coming back here to dry our fish and go back to our houses daily,” says Botoe.

[Samuel T. Jabba contributed to this report]

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

Community Seizes Loggers’ Equipment in Bassa

October 7, 2025

Top: West Water’s camp in Tonwein, Nimba County. The DayLight/Gerald Koinyeneh

ByEsau J. Farr

GAYPUE TOWN, Grand Bassa County – Local leaders in a Grand Bassa community forest have seized a logging company’s equipment for failing to pay their benefits.

Locals seized six West Water Group (Liberia) Inc.’s earthmovers, obstructing the company’s operations in the District Three B&C Community Forest in Grand Bassa.

“It is unfair for them to come and take away our resources and fail to live up to promises they made. So, the community people seized those machines,” said Jeremiah Whoe, Chief Officer of the B&C Community Forest.

“We seriously regret West Water coming into our forest,” Whoe lamented. “It would have been better for our forest to remain standing until better investors come and take over it,” added Whoe.

In April 2021, District 3 B&C Community Forest signed a 15-year contract, leasing 24,175 hectares to West Water for hand pumps, a clinic, and a school.

Four years on, it owes locals thousands in land rental, harvesting, and education fees. Moreover, it has failed to build a clinic, a school, and a market building in line with the agreement.

To date, West Water owes the community US$26,000, according to the community forest. The company has constructed four out of the eight hand pumps the contract requires in landowning communities.

West Water owes the community an unspecified amount in harvesting fees, having only paid US$6,100 in 2021. West Water exported 18,683.309 cubic meters of timber last year, according to the FDA records. That means the company should have paid locals US$28,024 for that shipment alone, based on their contract.

Locals also said they were holding West Water’s machines because it had abandoned hundreds of logs in the community forest. Deserting logs in the forest for over three weeks violates the Regulation on Abandoned Logs, Timber, and Timber Products.

Omega Jimmy, a local leader, said they seized the equipment because West Water ignored their warnings.

“We heard that they were about to take their machines from the bush and run away from the community. We quickly moved in and stopped them because they came and exploited our resources, and want to leave the community with nothing,” Jimmy said.

West Water has a 15-year contract with District Three B&C Community Forest in Grand Bassa County. Locals have seized the company’s equipment over unsettled debts. The DayLight/Derick Snyder

Jeffrey Gao, West Water’s CEO and majority shareholder, admitted his company is indebted to the community.

“I did not calculate the exact amount that we owe the community, but it is similar to what the community said,” said Gao.

However, he blamed it on the community’s repeated disruptions of his operations.

“The community people have looted our properties and set up repeated roadblocks. They have caused me to lose over a million dollars to the extent that I am almost bankrupt,” added Gao.

The community rejects this claim, saying West Water was begging them on one hand and accusing them on the other.

“No, we did not loot anything,” Jimmy said. “This is a double standard. West Water cannot be begging us to go back to the negotiation table and at the same time accusing the community of damaging its properties.

Meanwhile, tension heightens in the area.

Last month, a meeting organized by the office of the Grand Bassa superintendent failed to resolve the dispute. Weeks later, community forest leaders called for the cancellation of West Water’s contract.

District elders have issued a traditional order, preventing West Water from removing its equipment from the community forest, Jimmy said.

Early June last year, West Water wrote to the Ministry of Justice, asking it to urgently intervene to save his company from “robbery, theft, and damage” to his properties.

“If not handled urgently, [this] could lead to the company closing its operations and leaving Liberia, something that would greatly impact the country negatively,” read the letter.

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

Shady Company Gets Logging Greenlight

September 29, 2025

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.

Sinoe Communities Try New Conservation Method

September 25, 2025

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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).

Park Warden Wants 250 Armed Rangers to Protect Sapo Park

September 22, 2025

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.”

DayLight Investigation Selected as one of Africa’s Best

September 22, 2025

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Top: The DayLight was established in 2020 and began publishing in 2021.

By Gabriel Dixon

MONROVIA – A DayLight investigation was selected as one of the best in Africa, the online environmental newspaper’s first international recognition.

The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) chose “How a Family Smuggled Timber for over a Decade” for May. It was listed alongside investigations from Kenya, Nigeria and Mozambique in the GIJN monthly recognition of great African works. Established in 2003, GIJN supports, promotes and produces investigative journalism, with 250 members.

“This is a victory for Liberian journalism,” said James Harding Giahyue, DayLight’s Director/Managing Editor, who conducted the investigation. “Our team, partners and networks need this motivation, as we hold extractive and environmental actors to account.”

The DayLight was unaware of the feat until recently.

In the investigation, Giahyue dug through documents to shed light on how a Caldwell family forged paperwork, evaded taxes and trafficked timber for 14 years. He reviewed shipping records, trade websites, a WhatsApp chat and audio recordings to expose the family. It was a follow-up to a previous story by Varney Kamara, The DayLight’s senior reporter.

A screenshot of a Global Investigative Journalism Network newsletter listing The DayLight investigation among the network’s stories for May 2025.

The investigation led to a police inquiry into tax evasion, forgery and economic sabotage against Ben Wesseh, the suspect. However, there has been no indictment, some five months later.

It also led to a change in the Ministry of Agriculture department that issues phytosanitary certificates, which certify that timber is free of pests.

The DayLight was established in 2020 with a mission to produce evidence-based stories from nature’s frontiers, as well as inspire a new generation of Liberian investigative journalists. It coordinates the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists (CoFEJ), which has over three dozen members nationwide.

Since its first publication in April 2021, The DayLight has won four national awards, two each in 2022 and 2024.

DayLight investigations have led to four prosecutions, five police probes, at least two Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fines, three suspensions, and two dismissals of a forest ranger and a police commander.

They have also led to an FDA reshuffle, an EPA halting of an illegal carbon deal, inspired a legislative inquest of a quarry company, and led to a ban on a certain logging activity, known as block wood or “kpokolo.”

Mano Accident Victim Receives US$120K for Damages

September 19, 2025

Top: Bendu Sonii received US$120,000 from Mano Palm Oil Industries as damages for an accident that left her with one leg. The DayLight/Harry Browne

By Matenneh Keita and Harry Browne

BALLAH’S TOWN, Grand Cape Mount County – A woman, who lost a leg in an accident involving a Mano Palm Oil Industries vehicle, received US$120,000 for damages.

In May last year, a Mano vehicle swerved off the Babangida Highway and hit Bendu Sonii, a casual laborer with the Lebanese-owned company. Doctors at the St. Joseph Catholic Hospital amputated Sonii’s right leg, which was severely injured in the accident.

After recovery, the 42-year-old mother of eight continued to receive her US$70 or US$80 wage and four 25-kilogram bags of rice. However, that changed after she won the lawsuit against her employer for damages.

“The money Mano gave was US$120,000. I brought it and turned it over to [Sonii],” said Sensee Johnson, the victim’s fiancé. “We took off the expenses that were made, and the balance was saved in the bank.”

The payment is a soothing twist in a sad story.

In an interview on her hospital bed two months later, a distressed Sonii could not hold back tears. She continued that mood even after she was discharged from the hospital, ruing a bleak future.

Not long after her story was published, Sonii found a lawyer and sued Mano at the 11th Judicial Circuit Court in Tubmanburg, Bomi County.

She petitioned the court for US$1.45 million in damages for wrong, personal injury and emotional distress, court records show. However, she reached an out-of-court settlement with the Lebanese-owned company for the eventual amount.

Having received the payment, Sonii praised the justice system, her spouse and journalists for the victory.

“I tell God thank you for the situation that came to me between me and Mano Oil Palm Plantation. The law was there to fight my case, and today I have become successful.

“It was difficult but thank God the laws of Liberia were there for me during the court process.

“My husband was there and also [The DayLight] too fought. All of you were there for me,” added Sonii at her home in Ballah’s Town, Grand Cape Mount County.

Mano did not speak on the settlement. Richard Hilton, the company’s communication officer, promised to grant an interview but evaded reporters.

Additional reporting by Gabriel Parker in Tubmanburg, Bomi County.

Removed Sapo Occupants Praise Security Forces

September 18, 2025

Top: A drone picture of the Sapo National Park. The DayLight/Carlucci Cooper

By Varney Kamara and Philip Quwebin

CHEBIOH TOWN, Sinoe County – When Andrew 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.

Tag: Liberia

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