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 Pictures of the seizure in an unpublished official report, seen by DayLight, show heroin, marijuana, tramadol, and the deadly Kush. An unpublished joint security report, seen by The DayLight, said occupants practiced “immoral and cruel acts far away from human civilization.”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: A forest in Jacksonville, Bong County, in 2020. Picture credit: Harry Browne
By Winnie Oguerilam
As the world accelerates efforts to address climate change, carbon markets have become a central mechanism linking environmental stewardship with economic opportunity. For Liberia, a country endowed with vast forest resources and rich biodiversity, carbon markets offer a promising path to sustainable development, poverty alleviation, and international climate leadership.
Understanding Carbon Markets and Carbon Credits
A carbon market is a system that enables the buying and selling of carbon credits. Each carbon credit represents one metric ton of carbon dioxide (CO₂) either removed from the atmosphere or prevented from being emitted. These credits can be generated through a variety of projects and activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Examples include protecting existing forests, planting new trees, shifting to renewable energy sources, improving agricultural practices, and managing waste more sustainably.
Countries and companies that produce more emissions than allowed under regulations or voluntarily set targets purchase carbon credits to offset their excess emissions. There are two main types of carbon markets. The compliance market involves transactions regulated by governments under international agreements such as the Paris Agreement. The voluntary market allows businesses and organizations to buy credits to meet self-imposed environmental goals or demonstrate corporate social responsibility.
At its core, the carbon market places a monetary value on the reduction of carbon emissions, creating an economic incentive for conservation and sustainable practices.
Why Carbon Markets Matter for Liberia
Liberia is home to a significant portion of the Upper Guinea forests, one of West Africa’s most important and intact tropical rainforest ecosystems. These forests are critical not only for Liberia but for the global climate. They absorb vast quantities of carbon dioxide, helping to mitigate climate change. Beyond carbon sequestration, Liberia’s forests support biodiversity, regulate rainfall patterns, protect watersheds, and provide livelihoods for thousands of rural communities.
For Liberia, participating in the carbon market offers multiple benefits that align with environmental conservation and economic growth.
New Revenue Opportunities
Carbon credits represent a new and sustainable source of income. As global demand for credible carbon offsets rises, Liberia could generate millions of dollars annually by protecting its forests. This revenue could diversify the country’s economy, reducing dependence on traditional sectors such as mining, rubber, and timber, which often have significant environmental and social costs.
Community Empowerment and Development
Properly designed carbon market projects have the potential to directly benefit local communities, particularly those living in or near forested areas. Funds generated can be invested in schools, healthcare facilities, clean water systems, and livelihood programs. This approach can help reduce poverty, strengthen local governance, and ensure that the people who protect the forests receive tangible rewards.
Environmental Conservation
Carbon finance provides a strong economic rationale for preserving Liberia’s forests. By attaching financial value to standing forests, it becomes more profitable to conserve trees than to clear them for agriculture, logging, or mining. This not only helps combat climate change but also safeguards biodiversity, protects soil quality, and maintains essential ecosystem services.
International Climate Leadership
Liberia’s active engagement in the carbon market would enhance its global standing. It would demonstrate the country’s commitment to international climate agreements and sustainable development goals, strengthening its voice in climate negotiations and attracting further international support and investment.
Why Now Is the Time for Liberia to Act?
The urgency of embracing carbon markets cannot be overstated. The global appetite for carbon credits is growing rapidly. Governments, multinational corporations, and financial institutions are under increasing pressure to meet ambitious net-zero emissions targets. They are looking for high-quality carbon credits from countries with large, intact forests, making Liberia one of the few nations with the natural capital to meet this demand.
At the same time, Liberia’s forests face escalating threats. Illegal logging, mining, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development put immense pressure on forest resources. If Liberia fails to develop alternative sources of income that reward conservation, the value of its forests will decline, and deforestation will accelerate.
Fortunately, Liberia has taken important steps in environmental governance. It has strengthened environmental laws and institutions, improved monitoring systems, and committed to international climate agreements. This progress lays the foundation for Liberia to develop transparent, accountable, and credible carbon trading systems.
Addressing Challenges for Success
Despite their promise, carbon markets come with challenges that Liberia must proactively address to ensure fair and sustainable outcomes.
Transparency and Accountability are essential to build trust among all stakeholders. Clear systems must track carbon credit projects, verify emission reductions, and ensure revenues are properly managed. Without these safeguards, carbon markets risk corruption, fraud, or mismanagement that could undermine Liberia’s credibility.
Drone shot of a community in Gbarpolu. The DayLight/James Giahyue
Community Inclusion is critical. Forest-dependent communities must be active participants in carbon projects. Their consent, rights, and benefits must be respected and prioritized. Excluding local people risks social conflict, project failure, and loss of forest protection.
Institutional Capacity must be strengthened. Liberia needs investment in technical skills, data infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks to navigate the complexities of carbon markets. Partnerships with international organizations and experts can accelerate this process.
Seizing a Defining Opportunity
Liberia stands at a crossroads. Carbon markets offer a unique opportunity to transform the country’s natural wealth into a foundation for sustainable growth and climate action. Rather than viewing forests as obstacles to development or sources of short-term profits through logging or land conversion, Liberia can treat its forests as living assets—generating income, creating jobs, supporting communities, and helping to solve the global climate crisis.
The decision is clear: Carbon markets are shaping the future of climate policy and economic development worldwide. Liberia must choose to lead rather than follow. By drafting a national strategy that balances conservation with economic needs, invests in strong governance, and includes local communities, Liberia can position itself as a leader in Africa’s emerging green economy.
The world is watching. Liberia’s forests are too valuable to lose and too important to ignore. With decisive action today, Liberia can secure a prosperous and sustainable future for generations to come.
The time to act is now. Liberia’s next chapter in sustainable growth starts with the carbon market.
Winnie S. Oguerilam is a Communications and Public Relations professional with a background in Environmental Science. She is currently serving as a trainee in the Political, Press & Information Section at the European Union Delegation in Liberia, where she supports public diplomacy and policy outreach. With experience in climate communication, advocacy, and community engagement, Winnie’s work bridges the gap between sustainability, governance, and public awareness. Her research and writings focus on environmental resilience and market-driven solutions to climate challenges in Liberia and beyond.
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: This poster shows Randy Scott, one of Liberia’s most notorious miners, a mine he is associated with in River Gee, an exploration mining license his company RAC Inc. has for Lofa, and a fake business registration certificate RAC Inc. presented to obtain the license. Picture credit: Facebook/Randy Scott and Prince Copeland for The DayLight
By James Harding Giahyue
MONROVIA – In January, RAC Incorporated, a mining firm owned by Randy Scott, who was involved in Liberia’s largest mining scandal in Gbarpolu, acquired a gold-exploration license for Lofa County. The three-year license covers 210.76 square kilometers in the Zorzor and Salayea Districts.
But what the Ministry of Mines and Energy apparently did not notice was that at least one of RAC’s documents was fake. A DayLight desk review found over a dozen inconsistencies on RAC’s business registration certificate, ranging from dates to markings.
RAC’s actual certificate was issued on August 1, 2023, and expired on July 26, 2024, according to the Business Registry’s records. It has not been renewed. RAC was first registered on March 31, 2021, about the same time it was founded, according to the company’s business registration certificate and articles of incorporation, and was enrolled at the Liberia Business Registry. An official listing of all the companies Mr. Scott owns or co-owns revealed RAC’s certificate indeed expired on Independence Day last year and had yet to be renewed.
The document RAC filed with the Ministry of Mines claims it was originally registered with the Business Registry on July 30, 2024. It was a red flag because the information contradicted the Business Registry’s records. Moreover, the Ministry of Mines’ records show that RAC’s operations date back to 2022, further proof that RAC could not have initially registered in 2024.
The document in question indicates that RAC’s business registration ran from July 30, 2024, to July 23, 2025. This is inconsistent with certificates issued by the Business Registry. Normally, certificates, which are issued in July, expire in June the following year.
The document identifies the company as “leasing and renting of motor vehicles.” This description omits mining and quarrying, RAC’s main scope of business. Also omitted is the Liberian seal, which is a crucial feature on known samples of valid business registration certificates.
A fake business registration certificate RAC Incorporated, owned by Randy Scott, a notorious illegal miner, presented and obtained a gold-exploration license in Lofa County, covering 210.76 square kilometers.Liberia Business Registry records show that RAC’s valid business registration certificate expired on July 26, 2024, and has not been renewed
A tax identification number—unique to a taxpayer—appears at the top-right corner of valid certificates. However, RAC has that detail in the body of the document. It even repeats the company’s business registration number, which, like a taxpayer identification number, appears only once on valid certificates.
Generally, the document in question contains more wording than real business registration certificates. The most telling is a line at the bottom of the document that reads: “This certificate is evidence of registration by enterprise branch/subsidiary as a taxpayer and employer.” The clause is unique to RAC, as valid certificates do not contain that line, suggesting that RAC deployed it to deceive the Ministry of Mines —and it worked.
Forging a document is a crime under the Minerals and Mining Law of Liberia, with a fine between US$1,000 and US$2,000, or a two or three-month prison term after a court process.
‘Go [and] sue me’
The investigation is a follow-up to an initial publication, which established that RAC Incorporated had been issued the exploration license with an expired business registration certificate. It had also found that RAC and Gee Mining Resources Ltd., its affiliate, were involved in illegal mining in River Gee County. The evidence established that RAC signed an MoU with local people, while Gee Mining conducted the mining. Satellite imagery showed that Gee Mining operated over 1,000 meters outside the nearer of its two claims.
The DayLight has written Minister Wilmot Paye about RAC’s forgery and illegal mining activities in River Gee, and the regulator has contacted the Business Registry to verify the document.
Confronted with evidence of the fake document, Scott sounded unbothered. “If you have evidence that my document is fake, go and sue me,” he said in a phone interview. “Do you know a fake document?” Scott holds 95 percent of RAC’s shares, while one Moses Luther holds the remaining shares, according to the company’s articles of incorporation.
This is not the first time Mr. Scott, who co-owns and is linked to multiple companies, has been involved in illegal mining activities. Last July, he and several Chinese nationals were indicted in Liberia’s largest mining scandal, valued at US$48.8 million. Earlier, the Environmental Protection Agency fined J.M. Mining, another of Mr. Scott’s companies, US$95,000 for operating without a permit. Before that, Urban and Rural Services Inc., to which he is connected, operated with an expired license.
Integrity Watch Liberia provided funding for this story. The DayLight maintained editorial independence over its content.
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: The decomposed body of Deppuh Kobera, a 15-year-old Ivorian cocoa farmer, is discovered in a River Gee forest. The DayLight/Prince D. Copeland
By Prince D. Copeland
FISH TOWN – An Ivorian boy who recently crossed the Ivorian border into Liberia to work on a cocoa farm has been found dead in a River Gee Forest, the police said.
Fifteen-year-old Deppuh Kobera had gone missing last Wednesday, farming cocoa in the Kwawe Gee-forest in Glorra District Forest, according to the River Gee Police Detachment. His body was discovered three days later in a nearby forest, beheaded, with bullet wounds to the head. A 15-man jury confirmed foul play.
“The investigation is growing deeper to establish who his killers are, how he came to Liberia, who lodged him, and where he was living,” said Theophilus Togba, River Gee Assistant Police Commander. “The situation is really tragic and embarrassing because someone crossed the border from the Ivory Coast into Liberia and lost his life here.”
No suspects have been arrested since the discovery. Meanwhile, the investigation continues, according to the police.
“We have started speaking with residents in that place, and they are giving us some traces of the incident,” Togba said to this reporter without stating when the outcome of the investigation would be released to the public.
Kobera’s death is the fourth in the region linked to the influx of Burkinabe cocoa migrants. Last month, Eric Nyenpan, Sabastine Saylee, and Aaron Teah, three men of the Kiteabo and Glarro subtribes, were murdered in a land dispute. Over 20 suspects were arrested and sent to the Fish Town Central Prison, where they await trial in that case.
With support from Liberian hosts, Burkinabes cross the border along the Cavalla River in search of cocoa farmland. Immigration authorities have recorded 55,000 Burkinabés, with over 4,000 recorded in River Gee.
This story was a Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ) production
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.
Top: The headquarters of the Forestry Development Authority in Whein Town, Paynesville. The DayLight/James Harding Giahyue
By Esau J. Farr
MONROVIA – A logging company cut numerous trees outside its authorized area in a Nimba community forest, according to an unpublished, official report, seen by the newspaper.
The June report found that Westwood Corporation harvested an unspecified number of logs outside the Gba Community Forest in the Sanniquillie-Mahn District. Forestry Development Authority (FDA) investigators found that Westwood worked 4 kilometers outside the 450-acre forestland, confirming a DayLight investigation. The newspaper had utilized satellite imagery to establish the illicit activities following an initial probe that raised plenty of legal questions.
“All the harvested logs were felled elsewhere without any traceability,” the report read. Samuel Cooper, Westwood’s manager, did not respond to questions for comment on the report.
The FDA initiated the investigation after receiving a tip from SGS, an independent verifier, which was concerned about the quantity of logs coming from the plot. Investigators found Westwood harvested in Gba’s conservation area, a regional biodiversity hotspot. Gba is adjacent to the East Nimba Nature Reserve, part of the Nimba Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“Their felling was scattered,” the report said, “under the pretense of constructing an alternative road.”
It was unclear how many logs Westwood harvested. However, the report put the total logs in one location as 1,135 (5,694 cubic meters), valued US$127,729. Westwood exported 216 logs (921 cubic meters) in March to Italy when the scam had not been discovered.
A drone shot of Westwood Corporation’s illegal logging activities in the Gba Community Forest in Nimba County. The DayLight/Derick Snyder
The report urged the FDA to halt Westwood’s operations and punish the company for “economic sabotage.” Westwood had signed an agreement with Gba to clear-cut the 450 acres for an ArcelorMittal Liberia waste plant.
Westwood faces a fine of three times the value of the logs it harvested, and logs it has already exported in line with the Regulation on Confiscated Logs, Timber, and Timber Products. The penalties also include a six-month imprisonment, or a fine and a prison term.
The report urged the FDA to confiscate and auction Westwood’s unsold logs as the regulation requires.
Additionally, FDA investigators found that Gba’s leadership was “complicit” in the underhanded operations. “During the investigation, it was discovered that the [leadership] had full knowledge of Westwood’s illegal actions,” the report added.
Nyan Flomo, a Gba leader who is familiar with the operations, said he was still reviewing the report. The DayLight caught up with Augustine Suah, Gba’s leader, at an event in Congo Town, but he declined an interview.
The report said Aaron Nyenebo, a ranger assigned to that region, and an unnamed FDA staffer, “condoned” Westwood’s illegal activities. Investigators are calling for a further probe and a possible dismissal due to the scale of the illicit harvesting. The report quoted Nyenebo, the accused ranger, as alleging that the FDA management in Monrovia was aware that the harvesting was outside of the legal location.
Efforts to contact Nyenebo for his side of the story did not materialize, as he did not answer phone calls. The DayLight will update this story once it contacts him.
Investigators also urged the FDA to take administrative actions against Gba’s leadership over its role.
Though submitted on June 20, the FDA has yet to publish, mention, or act on the report. Managing Director Rudolph Merab did not respond to email queries regarding what is perhaps the biggest forestry crime committed during his administration.
This is a Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia production.
Top: The Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority, Rudolph Merab. The DayLight/Harry Browne
By Varney Kamara and Esau Farr
SEEKON-PELLOKON – The Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), Rudolph Merab, is allegedly pushing a community forest to sign a logging contract with a dormant company owned by his friend.
Leaders of the Seekon Pellokon Community Forest in Sinoe’s Seekon District said the FDA was on their backs to enter a contract with the Liberia Hardwood Corporation. The company is now scouting the 44,989-hectare forest, with the parties reportedly close to a deal.
“When they finish looking in the bush, we will all come back to the table to discuss the contract,” Junior Kumah, a Seekon Pellokon leader, told The DayLight.
“Our interest is to take our people from years of poverty. They need development, roads, schools, and clinics.”
Earlier this year, the FDA disapproved a deal between Seekon Pellokon and Universe Forest Group, a new logging company, because it lacked the capacity to operate two contracts simultaneously. Universe Forest has a contract with the Tarsue Community Forest in the Sanquin District.
Instead, locals said, the FDA welcomed a deal with the Liberia Hardwood Corporation, co-owned and run by Jihad Akkari. He holds 15 percent of the company’s share, while Khalil Zein Baalbaki and Giuliano Dassi hold 42.5 percent shares apiece.
Akkari’s relationship with Merab dates back to the 1990s, when both men operated logging companies. Akkari served as the vice president when Merab was president of the Liberia Timber Association (LibTA) for nearly 20 years. Multiple sources said their friendship was playing out for Akkari in Seekon Pellokon.
“FDA is the one that is negotiating,” said Kumah in a phone interview. “The FDA has all those documents in its possession.”
Stanley Kreejarly, a member of Seekon Pellekon’s leadership, corroborated the claim, adding another layer.
“FDA said it would not do business with us unless the community signed a contract with Liberian Hardwood,” said Kreejarly. Like Kumah, he presented no evidence.
“FDA recommended that we should do business with the Liberian Hardwood, and we agreed because it is the one overseeing the sector.”
Tarpeh Wluh-Sam, Seekon Pellokon’s leader, would not speak on the matter but said they needed development.
Judu Town, one of the landowning communities of Seekon Pellokon Community Forest. The DayLight/Esau J. Farr
The claim that Merab is negotiating or pressuring locals for Liberian Hardwood is grave. Per the Community Rights Law…, the FDA does not negotiate contracts. Rather, it approves them. Negotiating for a company would violate the Code of Conduct for Public Officials, which prohibits the violation of any law and using official positions for personal benefit.
Merab did not respond to queries for comments on the allegation, but Akkari did, defending his company and the FDA’s boss. He denied that Merab favored Liberian Hardwood and that the people who made the claim were likely unaware of the matter.
“[Liberian Hardwood] reiterates that Hon. Merab never made any such intervention on its behalf vis-a-vis the people of Seekon-Pellokon for the management of their community forest(s),” said Akkari.
“[Liberian Hardwood] does not entertain any sliver of thought that Honorable Merab… would engage in flouting the law… and stoop to meddling in the award of Community [forest contract].”
‘Not a rocket scientist’
The FDA might have disapproved of Universe Forest Group. However, Liberian Hardwood may not have the capacity to handle Seekon Pellokon either.
Liberian Hardwood’s previous contract in the Bloquia and Neezonnie Community Forests ended disastrously. It left the Grand Gedeh communities with debts, broken promises, and hundreds of logs that are now rotting.
In 2016, the FDA halted Liberian Hardwood’s operations until it could export timber it had abandoned in the forest. Three years later, the company’s account was disabled in LiberTrace, the timber-tracking computer system.
Samuel Kreejarlay, a Seekon Pelloken leader, speaks in an interview. The DayLight/Esau Farr
Sampson Zammie, the secretary general of the community forests union, said he warned Wluh-Sam against contracting Liberian Hardwood. “I told him that he should not do it and if he does it, he will be doing it at his own risk,” said Zammie. Tarpeh confirmed having that conversation with Zammie, who is also Bloquia’s leader, promising to review Liberian Hardwood’s records.
Junior Kumah, another Seekon Pellokon leader, dismisses Zimmie’s warning. Kumah said that Seekon Pellokon had put in place a mechanism to avoid the Bloquia-Neezonnie experience. They would sign a five-year contract, the company would pay after production, and they would terminate the contract if Liberian Hardwood breached it, common safeguards in community forestry.
“I am not a rocket scientist to know whether Hardwood will fail or not. All I am telling you is that what happened in Bloquia will not be repeated here. What happened to John doesn’t mean the same thing will happen to Paul,” Kumah said.
Akkari denies any wrongdoing in Grand Gedeh, claiming he lost US$4 million there. He referenced a 2021 Supreme Court ruling that cleared Liberian Hardwood of US$90,325.15 in damages to Bloquia and US$123,332 to Neezonnie in a contract-termination lawsuit.
In the ruling, the Supreme Court said that a Grand Gedeh judge had “improperly” executed its initial verdict. “This was a petition for cancellation, which proceedings do not give awards, as is done in an action of damages,” read the ruling.
But the high court ordered that local people were free to sue Liberian Hardwood for damages, which they would never do. The ruling concluded by ordering the 7th Judicial Circuit Court to allow Liberian Hardwood to remove its equipment from the forest. The case was filed by A&M Enterprise Inc., which had subcontracted Liberian Hardwood for its contract with Bloquia and Nezonnie.
Logging amid controversies
There are other capacity concerns, as Liberian Hardwood is not the only company Akkari manages. The Lebanese is also the manager of Euro Liberia Logging Company.
Euro Logging operates the second-largest forestry concession in Liberia, covering Grand Gedeh and River Gee Counties, 254,670 hectares. Combined with Seekon Pellokon’s 44,989 hectares, that would be nearly 300,000 hectares, and one of the largest managed by a single individual in Liberia’s postwar forestry.
Obtaining community forest contracts has proved counterproductive in several cases for managers of large logging concessions. One example is Cesare Colombo, then manager of International Consultant Capital, which holds 266,910 hectares across Grand Gedeh, River Cess and Nimba and is the largest forestry concession in Liberia. Colombo acquired two community forestry contracts with Marblee & Karblee, and Gbarsaw & Dorbor in Grand Bassa and River Cess, but failed.
A screenshot that shows Liberian Hardwood Corporation’s account is one of 12 disabled in the FDA’s log-tracking system, or LiberTrace
Campaigners said loggers were exploiting rural communities.
“My understanding is that some of these companies are taking advantage of the limited capacity of community members who are awarding these concessions to them,” said Andrew Zelemen, a campaigner for Euro Logging-affected and other communities, in 2022.
“Something is wrong somewhere…, and these companies need to tell us what they are doing with the Liberian people’s forests,” added Zelemen.
Akkari said he was unaware of the failure of individuals who run large concessions and community forests. Yet, he did not doubt handling the second-largest concession and Seekon Pellokon at once.
“[Liberian Hardwood] can affirmatively state that it has the capacity to operate such forest area(s),” Akkari said.
“In any case, however, the FDA does not give its [approval] to any arrangement unless it is satisfied that the prospective operator has the capacity…,” he added, though the evidence disproves this claim. The FDA has awarded several individuals multiple contracts, including four to a Singaporean family, after they failed their previous contract.
That aside, a review of the forestry sector last year found that it was unclear whether Euro Logging’s US$250,000 performance bond was sufficient. However, the review identified it as the company with, perhaps, the fewest issues in forestry.
Also, Akkari is disqualified from engaging in logging activities in Liberia, according to the Regulation on Bidder Qualifications. The regulation bars individuals who were involved in the logging industry before January 2006. They can only participate unless they confess their wartime wrongdoings to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and repay embezzled or unpaid funds.
There is no record that Akkari, who ran the Akkari Timber Inc. during the Second Liberian Civil War (1999-2003), whose contract was cancelled for noncompliance, met those requirements. He did not respond to queries regarding his wartime activities and Euro Logging’s capacity.
[Additional reporting from Oniel Philips from the Temple of Justice in Monrovia]
This story was a Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists (CoFEJ) production.
Top: A portion of one of two mines that Gee Mining Resources Group Limited operates in Tartuken, River Gee County, that is outside its authorized claim. The DayLight/Prince Copeland
By Prince Copeland, for The DayLight
One company, RAC Incorporated, has an MoU with a River Gee community, while another, Gee Mining Resources Ltd, conducts the operations
Satellite imagery shows that the operations are outside Gee Mining’s two claims in the Nyeniwroken District, a violation of the Minerals and Mining Law
RAC’s business registration certificate expired on Independence Day last year. However, it was issued an exploration license. Randy Scott, RAC’s majority shareholder, is one of Liberia’s most notorious miners
The evidence suggests that Nelson Worjolo, Gee Mining’s owner, is fronting for a non-Liberian
Townspeople benefit from dredging activities on the Gee River next to Gee Mining’s claims, and right under a local Ministry of Mines agent’s nose
TARTUKEN, River Gee County – Towering trees background huge sand mounds, water-filled pits, earthmovers, plastic barrels and a fuel tank. Mineworkers operate machines, digging through the brown earth. Pipes transport water from a nearby river to large, makeshift plants, where gold nuggets are trapped in inclined carpets.
This goldfield in Tartuken, Nyeniwroken District, looks like one of River Gee’s 48 active regulated mines. However, official documents, satellite imagery, a Ministry of Mines repository, and interviews proved otherwise. Turns out, the mine is illegal and is linked to one of Liberia’s most notorious miners.
Our story starts on July 10 last year, when RAC Incorporated, owned by a man named Randy Scott, signed an MoU with Tartuken’s chiefs and elders. In the document, RAC promised to build a guesthouse, a clinic and pay the community US$500 each month, among other things.
The company is delivering on its promises. This reporter documented three hand pumps, the five-bedroom guesthouse, while the elders confirmed that RAC paid monthly fees, including US$100 each for six teachers.
But the reporter noted a red flag when he interviewed townspeople. RAC had signed the MoU on behalf of Gee Mining Resources Group, a five-month-old company with no prior mining experience. Nelson Worjolo, Gee Mining’s owner, signed the document for Scott.
Confronted with the finding, Scott confirmed the information in a phone interview with the reporter. He disclosed that Gee Mining conducted the actual mining, while RAC handled community projects.
An excavator at work at a Gee Mining mine in Tartuken, River Gee County. The DayLight/Prince Copeland
“Yes, Gee Mining and RAC are in partnership. They are the same,” Scott, who holds 95 percent of RAC’s shares, phoned this reporter.
Worjolo also confirmed the inconsistency. He said RAC had intended to conduct the operation but it had a “small issue,” so Scott contacted him. He had spoken with the community about correcting the MoU but suspicious locals refused. He would rectify the issue in the coming weeks.
Elijah Toe, an elder who signed the MoU, denies Worjolo’s story. “No, they never came back to tell the townspeople that they were changing the company’s name from RAC to Gee Mining,” said Toe.
Myers Moyan, a Tartuken elder, corroborated Toe’s comments. “They didn’t tell us the elders the difference [between the two companies],” Moyan said.
‘Hold the ground’
Seeking the truth, the reporter turned to RAC and Gee Mining’s documents and the Ministry of Mines and Energy repository.
The search proved Gee Mining had two medium-scale or class ‘B’ gold licenses in the Tartuken area, and RAC Incorporated’s only license is in Zorzor, Lofa County. So, RAC truly signed the MoU but Gee Mining conducted the operation, a red flag.
But the repository shows that the Tartuken MoU was signed at least six months before the licenses were issued, and three months before Gee Mining prospected the area.
Worjolo said they signed the MoU that early because it was part of the requirements for the licenses. Asked why he signed the MoU before prospecting, he said they were sure the area had gold, which is not a requirement but is not illegal. “We did that to hold the ground first before prospecting,” Worjolo said.
A portion of Gee Mining’s illegal gold mine in Tartuken, River Gee County. The DayLight/Prince Copeland
Next, the reporter reviewed RAC and Gee Mining’s business registration certificate. Interestingly, RAC’s business registration certificate had expired on Independence Day last year and has not been renewed as of August 5. This means that RAC was ineligible for the gold-exploration license it was awarded in January for Lofa County.
Gee Mining’s business registration certificate and article of incorporation identify it as a Liberian company. However, the ministry’s repository recognizes it as a “Liberian and foreign-owned.” This appears to explain why Worjolo said he needed to talk to his boss in Monrovia before talking to us. The evidence suggests he is fronting for a mysterious non-Liberian.
Worjolo did not respond to queries for comments about his company’s ownership.
Outside the claims
Now suspicious of everything, the reporter decided to focus on the mine’s location. Was the digging inside or outside Gee Mining’s claims? Is the claim this close to the river?
To answer those questions, the reporter turned once more to the Ministry of Mines’ repository. There, the ministry stores maps of all medium and large mining claims. Those maps come with the shapes of the claims and coordinates, imaginary vertical and horizontal lines called longitudes and latitudes.
Armed with that information, the reporter took the photographs fitted with Gee Mining’s goldfield coordinates and presented them to a DayLight geolocation expert.
The expert uploaded the data into a certain software. Utilizing data from the Liberia Institute for Statistics and Geoinformation Services (LISGIS), the expert found the location. Then he drew up a map with Google Earth, a computer program that uses satellite imagery.
The map established that the mine the reporter photographed was at least 1,000 meters away from Gee Mining’s claims. Even a second mine the reporter snapped was just outside the company’s other claim.
This Google Earth map shows that Gee Mining operates outside its legal claims in Tartuken, River Gee County. Kenkpen Cassell Group of Companies for The DayLight
Confronted with this evidence, Worjolo said it was “not to my knowledge” that his operations were outside the authorized locations.
Scott, on the other hand, suggested that Gee Mining had a small-scale license for the operations in question. However, the repository shows that neither RAC nor Gee Mining has a small-scale or class ‘C’ mining license. Even if it did, earthmovers are outlawed in small-scale claims with soft or sandy grounds as Tartuken.
Mining outside one’s claim is a criminal offense, according to the Minerals and Mining Law. Violators face a US$2,000 fine, up to 24 months in prison, or both fine and term upon conviction by a court. The penalties could be harsher if prosecutors increased the charges.
Dredges on the river
RAC/Gee Mining’s illegal mines lie next to the Gee River, after which the county got its name in 2000. Gee or Chee means “leopard” in the Grebo language, but there was no sighting of the critically endangered big cat. Instead, four dredges, rafts made of plastic barrels with machines used to suck sediments from water, decorated the muddy river.
This alerted the reporter, who was aware that dredging had been banned since 2019 due to its associated environmental harms. From that moment, the reporter’s attention switched from land to water, and the mystery began to unravel instantly.
The miners operating the dredges said that they paid Tartuken’s locals a weekly fee they would not say. Chiefs and elders corroborated their claim. “It is true they were asked to pay L$15,000 per canoe (dredge) but they accepted to pay L$10,000 per canoe. We have only received L$30,000, which is equivalent to three canoes,” said Paul Kity, an elder spokesman.
Miners conduct a slew of dredges on the Gee River in Tartuken, River Gee County. The DayLight/Prince Copeland
The dredge operators said they paid the RAC/Gee Mining an undisclosed amount weekly. They also paid one gram of gold or L$20,000 (US$100) monthly to Tanneh Borteh, the ministry’s agent for that region.
“If we are not paying anything, I will tell you, but we are paying dues to the mining agent, the town people, and the claim agent too,” said Habib Zigi, a Ghanaian miner who operates two dredges.
Worjolo, RAC/Gee Mining’s owner, denies Zigi’s claim. He said he had driven the dredgers from the area on multiple occasions, but they always returned.
Similarly, Borteh, the ministry’s agent, who also denies any wrongdoing, said the same thing. “I went there and I told them to leave the water, ‘I don’t want you to lose your properties.’ Since then, I have not gone there,” Borteh said via mobile phone.
Notorious illegal miner
Based on Gee Mining’s legal documents and a desk review, Tartuken could be Worjolo’s first known illegal mining operation. However, it only adds to Scott’s brushes with the law.
In 2023, a DayLight investigation found that Urban and Rural Services, a company Scott has ties with, operated an illegal gold mine in Todee, with the aid of Montserrado County officials. It found that the company ran a full-scale mining operation with a prospecting license.
A relative of Prince Hali, a mineworker who drowned in a mining pit left by illegal mining activities in Bella Yalla, is helped from the scene after his body was recovered in January 2024. The DayLight/James Harding Giahyue
A follow-up investigation established that the license had expired and that the company had evaded taxes. Scott claimed that the license overstayed due to the coronavirus, though the pandemic had no such impact on the industry. Except for the involvement of two companies, Scott’s Todee illegal operations bear a striking resemblance to his Tartuken illicit activities.
A year after Todee, Scott was involved in a US$48.8 million lawsuit in Belle Yalla, Gbarpolu County. It was what Worjolo referenced in explaining why Gee Mining stepped in for RAC, though it signed the Tartuken MoU.
Perhaps the largest illegal mining scandal in Liberia’s history, Scott, Gao Feng, a Chinese nicknamed “the real minister,” and other people, allegedly encroached on another company’s mine. Scott was accused of defrauding the Liberian government of nearly US$12 million, according to a Ministry of Justice estimate.
Scott and the other suspects were accused of economic sabotage, tax evasion, criminal conspiracy and environmental degradation. In January last year, a man in his 20s drowned in a mine pit that mineworkers had abandoned in the community.
This story was a production of the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ).
