Top: Iroko logs on an open field outside of Greenville, Sinoe County. The DayLight/Derick Snyder
By Varney Kamara
MONROVIA – In this and the last three years, The DayLight published a series of reports, exposing a Nigerian-owned logging company’s offenses. Yet, the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) ignored each of the six investigations, approving the firm’s operations.
Over eight months after the newspaper’s last story, Iroko Timber and Logging Company has ceased operations. An FDA online portal identifies Iroko as “inactive.” The company is indebted to the Liberian government and the Central River Dugbe Community Forest in Sinoe, where it operated.
“There are signs that Iroko may not return to the community. As I speak, most of their workers are now working with different companies,” said Ernest Slah, a local leader, in a phone interview. “I am seriously disappointed because the community is still struggling to get its benefits after all these big promises.”
The story started in 2022 when Iroko signed a 15 -year logging contract with Central River Dugbe Community Forest to lease 13,193 hectares in exchange for schools, handpumps, and other benefits.
However, Iroko failed to live up to the agreement. It owes the villagers US$28,720.19 in land rental, harvesting and other fees, as well as projects, according to the community.
From their obligations to the community and the clearing of the logs from the forest, everything has been stalled since that time,” said Bartee Togba, Central River Dugbe’s chief officer. “They have still not paid the community debts they owed it.”
The FDA sanctioned Iroko’s export amid its indebtedness to the Central River Dugbe and the government, violating the Regulation on Forest Fees. The regulation requires that the FDA disapproves of an indebted company’s export.
A DayLight investigation found that a majority of the logs exported were illegally harvested and had been red-flagged by LiberTrace, the FDA tracking system.
Official records show that from July to August last year, Iroko paid the government US$173,432, covering export, land rental and other fees. The evidence, however, shows that the company owed the government US$16,263 in land rental fees.
That August, Iroko asked the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) to pay the balance due September and October, official records show.
“If we default on this agreement, our tax debt may be referred to the Ministry of Justice to sue for the unpaid tax and or court’s authorization to seize and sell our property,” read Iroko’s commitment.
The LRA agreed, but the money has not been paid, according to official records. Iroko and the LRA did not immediately respond to queries for comments.
A map of the Central River Dugbe Community Forest. Filed picture/Forestry Development Authority
Another DayLight investigation last year established that the FDA permitted Iroko to export abandoned logs without fining the firm. Thus, the government lost over US$100,000 in fines, based the Regulation on Abandoned Logs, Timber and Timber Products.
In fact, Iroko was not qualified for Central River Dugbe Community Forest due to its shareholder Timothy Odebunmi.
Odebunmi is also a shareholder in Akewa Group of Companies, which was fined US$1,000 for forging a tax clearance in 2019. The Regulation on Bidder Qualifications restricts a person who is part of a dishonest company from forestry activities for five years.
Back in Sinoe, Togba and other locals brace for a court action.
“It is a sad thing to hear this because Iroko is still obligated to the community. It owes the community numerous benefits that have not been settled,” said Togba.
“If the company decides to close and leave the community without settlement, we will use the law to demand our social and financial benefits.”
This was a production of the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ) production.
Top: An operator in a Sinoe County Forest in 2017. Picture credit: James Harding Giahyue
By Varney Kamara
MONROVIA – Forestry authorities have approved a logging contract for African Finch Logging Limited, despite the company’s unknown ownership and link to a Sinoe lawmaker.
Following The DayLight series in April and May, African Finch operations appeared to have been temporarily halted. However, some five months later, it is on the verge of harvesting logs in the 18,000-hectare forest.
In a video, an African Finch earthmover is seen making a road in the Numopoh Community Forest, while two Asian men supervise. Also, Forestry Development Authority (FDA) records show that the company paid US$500 for timber identification tags.
This development indicates that the FDA and the Liberia Business Registry ignored findings of a DayLight series of the company’s illegalities.
The DayLight series found that the African Finch did not declare its owners, a legal requirement. The Business Association Law and the Beneficial Ownership Regulation require all firms to declare their ultimate beneficial owners, the people who own them. Meant to combat financial crimes and conflicts of interest, the regulation requires firms to disclose politically exposed persons.
Also, The DayLight found that African Finch forged a UAE certificate, which it used to register in Liberia.
The document in question contains a passport with the identification number 167557. However, using artificial intelligence and manual checks, reporters determined the passport did not match known samples of a UAE passport. UAE passport numbers typically consist of eight digits, including letters, and not six as on African Finch’s document.
Second, the certificate was issued by the UAE’s free-trading zone on August 11, 2020. This establishes that the certificate had expired for nearly four years when African Finch used it to register in Liberia last year.
The evidence suggests that the forgers intended to use 2020 to make the document appear legitimate. However, what they apparently did not realize was that a UAE certificate typically lasts for only a year.
The DayLight found another inconsistency in African Finch’s purported UAE certificate. The document lacks QR codes and barcodes, key features on known UAE business certificates for verifying a company’s legal status.
Hidden ownership
In its underhand filing in Liberia, African Finch names Finch General Trading, registered in the UAE free-trade zone, as its parent company. The UAE free-trade zone is a red flag in itself, a haven for shell companies to avoid taxes and conceal their ownership.
But reporters established that Finch General is not even recorded in the UAE free-trade zone registry. Similarly, checks in the UAE official, general database yielded no results. Further checks in the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) Aleph, one of the world’s largest databases of companies, were the same.
Now, reporters turned to Finch General’s website, which is hosted by NameSilo, known to hide firms’ identities. Turns out the address on that website belongs to another company, while verification directs users to an unofficial site. Finch General restricted access to the website following The DayLight series.
Faking the UAE document constitutes forgery, a crime under Liberian law. Moreover, using that document to obtain a forestry contract constitutes perjury or lying under oath, according to the Regulation on Bidder Qualifications.
The African Finch did not respond to queries about its concealed ownership and forged documents, and maintained that posture throughout.
A copy of African Finch’s forged UAE business certificate on the right and a sample of a genuine Emeriti business certificate
“We don’t have any response for you,” Kwadjo Asabre, an official of the company, said in April. “We do not support mischief and dishonest publications. It’s cowardice.
“Don’t text me again.”
Similarly, the FDA and the Liberia Business Registry did not return questions about African Finch’s shadowy ownership and fake credentials. The newspaper has now filed a freedom of information request with the FDA, the beginning of a legal procedure.
Link to a Lawmaker
In August last year, the FDA approved Numopoh Community Forest’s request to terminate its contract with Delta Timber Corporation. Numopoh and Delta had signed the deal in 2016. Delta, owned by Gabriel Doe, a former presidential adviser during the Charles Taylor regime, had had unsettled debt and abandoned thousands of logs to rot.
After terminating Delta’s contract, Numopoh signed an MoU with African Finch—but not without the help of Representative Romeo Quioh of Sinoe’s District #1.
The DayLight series revealed that Quioh allegedly coerced and bribed locals into signing the deal the same day it was introduced, violating their right to consent. Townsfolk claimed he directly and indirectly gave them L$3,000 and L$5,000. A townsman said he walked out of the signing ceremony in disagreement with Quioh.
Townspeople alleged Quioh brought African Finch to Numopoh in fulfillment of an election pledge to bring jobs to his constituency.
“This whole thing is part of that big promise he made to the community during the campaign,” said Alex Sanwon, a prominent Johnny Town resident.
The series determined Quioh was involved in a conflict of interest due to his connection with African Finch, a breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officials.
Asabre, the African Finch executive, at least confirmed Quioh’s control of the company. He had told The DayLight in April to “Speak to [the] Hon” in response to company-related queries.
In an April Facebook post, Quioh denied that he had coerced or bribed the townspeople, but admitted to having a connection with the company.
“As… a member of the advisory board of the Board of Directors of African Finch Incorporation, my involvement in forestry-related matters is strictly within the confines of my legislative oversight responsibilities,” said Quioh in the post.
Representative Thomas Remeo Quioh converses with an African Finch executive in Numopoh. Picture credit: Anonymous
Quioh’s admission added to African Finch’s hidden human owners and the company’s unproven UAE status, leaving more questions than answers.
But before the dust settled on his admission, Quioh retracted his comments. He now claimed he had mistakenly written African Finch in the Facebook post, instead of Numopoh. He would omit “African Finch” and add “community forest management committee” to revise his rebuttal.
But the evidence contradicts Quioh’s claim. He mentioned multiple times in the Facebook post that he was an African Finch advisor, which is inconsistent with a mistake.
There were other inconsistencies in his retraction, too. A community forest management committee or an adviser does not exist in community forestry. What exists is an executive committee that supervises the daily activities of a community forest, of which a lawmaker is a member.
When contacted on African Finch’s operations amid its legal woes, Quioh declined to speak.
“Nothing… take any action deemed appropriate,” he said, before pulling a page from Asabre’s playbook. “Going forward, please don’t ever call me on any issues regarding African Finch and its activities.”
Illegal extension
The investigation revealed that the FDA extended the community forest from 7,200 hectares to 18,000 hectares without the participation of Numopoh’s neighbors, Tartweh, Wedjah and Wolee.
Excluding neighboring communities from the expansion violates the Community Rights Law of 2009. The law requires the FDA to notify affected communities, make radio announcements, and set aside 30 days for Numopoh and its neighbors to cut their boundaries and map Numopoh’s forestland. There is no evidence that those conditions were met.
A pictorial view of the Numopoh Community Forest in Sinoe County, southeastern Liberia. The DayLight/Derick Snyder
Kwankon Saytue of Tartweh-Drapoh Community Forest said, “I only got to know about the expansion from the signed MoU when somebody posted it on social media.”
Wolee, one of three sections making up the Du-Wolee Township in the Kpayan District, is taking action against the arbitrary extension. Numopoh and Du-Wolee are already locked in a decade-long dispute over a 463-hectare farmland, all three communities are claiming.
“We have protested about infringement on our land, and we asked them to stop,” said Abel Nyenswah, sectional head of Wolee. “The forest area the company entered belongs to us, but they are still paying deaf ears.”
Sam Kandie, a Numopoh forest leader, refuted Nyenswah’s comments, saying Numopoh had no forest boundary with Wolee. “It is a land boundary they have with Numopoh, not a forest boundary.” He did not address comments from Tartweh-Drapoh and Wedjah.
This story was a Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia production.
Top: A footpath inside the Lower Wedjah Community Forest. The DayLight/ Esau J. Farr
By Esau J. Farr
GBOYEE TOWN; DIYANKPO, Sinoe County – In June, the people in Wedjah District signed an agreement with an NGO to protect 7,131 hectares of forest for yearly cash and other benefits.
“We have been waiting for this day to come for so many years,” said Savior Nyenbe, an elder of Soloe Town in Wedjah.
Two days later, the Jaedae District signed a similar agreement to keep 43,543 hectares of forest.
“I want to say that the people of Jaedae wholeheartedly welcome the [agreement],” said Mark Toe, a local leader in Jaedae.
The Lower Wedjah and Jaedea agreements are the first of a revolutionary approach to forest conservation in which communities receive funds for keeping their forests standing. A Paynesville-based NGO, Integrated Development and Learning (IDL), is championing the payment for stewardship.
“The agreement does not just deliver money to the community, it puts the community in charge of its own development agenda and priorities,” said Silas Siakor, IDL’s Executive Director.
Communities own about 75 percent of Liberia’s forest. This puts local people at the core of conservation in a country that holds the largest portion of West Africa’s remaining rainforests.
The Wedjah and Jaedae agreements are a two-year trial, with a possible 25-year extension. During this time, IDL will pay Wedjah and Jaedae a combined US$152,022, with the former receiving US$21,392 and the latter US$130,630. The first tranche would arrive this week, Siakor said.
In exchange, local people in Wedjah and Jaedae will not mine, farm, log, or build homes in their forests. They will, however, be allowed to harvest trees and other things for local development during the lifespan of the agreement.
Both communities have a rich biodiversity. Wedjah is home to several wildlife species, including chimpanzees. There are also important tree species. Jaedae, on the other hand, is part of the proposed Grand Kru-River Gee Protected Area, home to several species in West Africa.
During the trial, trained local volunteers or forest guards will conduct monthly forest monitoring. Over the years, illicit activities have undermined conservation efforts in Lake Piso, Nitrian Community Forest and the Sapo National Park next door. A Forestry Development Authority team has traveled to Sinoe this week to train the guards. Monitoring is expected to start early next week.
Siakor believes this will not repeat in Wedjah and Jaedae. Instead, it will increase the number of protected forest areas and prevent encroachment on those forests, he says.
“It also provides an opportunity for partnership between the community and the Wardens at Sapo, and guarantees community support for protection for the next two years.”
The trial comes at a time when commercial logging continues to fail communities. Wedja and Daedae’s neighbors, Sewacajua, Numopoh and the Central River Dugbe community forests have their share of the bad experiences.
A portion of the Jaedae District forest is in the background of a farm in Diyankpo. The DayLight/Esau Farr
Also, the Burkinabé cocoa crisis in the southeast is a new challenge for conservation.
However, evidence shows that community-based conservation programs work. There are programs similar to the one in Wedjah and Jaedae elsewhere in Salayea, Lofa, Zor, Nimba, and Central Morweh, River Cess.
Campaigners say putting locals in charge of forest conservation will help Liberia meet its climate commitments, including cutting deforestation by 50 percent in 2030. Global Forest Watch, an institution that tracks deforestation, reports Liberia lost 162,000 ha of natural forest in 2024, equivalent to 104,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
“This initiative represents a significant step forward in forest conservation efforts,” says Andrew Zelemen, a leader of the National Union of Community Forestry Development Committees. “For too long, forest communities have not received direct compensation for their role in preserving these critical ecosystems.”
This story was a production of the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ).
Top: A Sapo National Park signboard in Cherue Town, Sinoe County. The DayLight/Carlucci Cooper
By Varney Kamara
JAYLAY TWON, Sinoe County – The government should arm 250 rangers to protect the Sapo National Park from illegal occupants, John Smith, the reserve’s Chief Warden, has said.
Spanning over 180,000 hectares across Grand Gedeh, River Gee, and Sinoe Counties, Sapo Park is Liberia’s largest natural reserve. However, only 30 law enforcement rangers man it.
“The size of the forest tells us that the number is insufficient to protect an area of this magnitude,” Smith told a DayLight interview in Jaylay Town, the rangers’ headquarters. “This has compelled the need to increase the force so that we can effectively deal with the situation on the ground.”
Established in 1983, the Sapo National Park is a global biodiversity hotspot, sheltering 125 mammal species and 590 bird species, including several endangered species. It is the second-largest rainforest in West Africa after the Tai National Forest in neighboring Ivory Coast.
However, the park faces environmental threats from illegal logging, agricultural expansion, and mining. There are 13 known illegal mining camps in the park, predominantly occupied by miners from the West African sub-region – Mali, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Guinea, the report found. A 2012 report found weak monitoring and poor boundary awareness among miners as key challenges.
In May 2017, a mob of local rioters killed a ranger and severely injured four others. It took armed anti-riot police to bring the situation under control.
Taylor Kaydee, an FDA-assigned ranger in Chebioh Town, the setting of the 2017 violence, said rangers were attacked often. About a year ago, he and other rangers were attacked after they arrested some illegal miners in the park. A court in Juarzon intervened for their handcuffs to be retrieved.
A drone shot of a portion of the Sapo National Park. The DayLight/Carlucci Cooper
“How do you go to arrest somebody who has arms in a jungle terrain of this nature, but you, who are the law enforcer, don’t have arms?” Smith asked rhetorically. Smith added that it was impractical for unarmed rangers to protect the park against its illegal occupants, armed with single-barrelled guns.
Security actors have been critical of arming rangers for the two decades that followed since Liberia’s civil wars ended in 2003. Critics fear arming forest rangers could lead to abuse of power, violence, and undermine reform efforts.
Smith disagrees. He believes sufficient law enforcement rangers must be trained, armed, and deployed not to shoot people but perform their tasks in line with the law.
“It is a sustainable approach that speaks to the longstanding difficulties we face over the years. We need the manpower, training, and logistics to support our security plans and operations.”
Top: A drone picture of the Sapo National Park. The DayLight/Carlucci Cooper
By Varney Kamara and Philip Quwebin
CHEBIOH TOWN, Sinoe County –WhenAndrew Saye learned that security forces wanted him out of the Sapo National Park, he grew nervous. He was in for a big surprise.
Joint security forces, including the soldiers, police officers and forest rangers, removed Saye without using any force. He was among some 2,000 illegal occupants, predominantly miners, who were removed from the park earlier last month.
“They talked to us well,” said Saye, who stayed seven months in Sapo. He spoke in an interview in Chebioh Town, one of the communities adjacent to the park. “They did not beat us.”
It signals improved relations between the government and local communities. Conflicts between communities and the government over illegal activities in the park have resulted in deaths and injuries. In May 2017, a mob of local rioters killed a ranger and severely injured four others. In retaliation, state security forces moved into the area, killing one townsman and arresting several others.
Joint security forces have peacefully removed about 2,000 occupants from the Sapo National Park in Sinoe County. Picture credit: James Giahyue
Established in 1983, Sapo National Park is Liberia’s first and largest reserve, spanning over 180,000 hectares across Grand Gedeh, River Gee, and Sinoe Counties. It is a global biodiversity hotspot, sheltering 125 mammal species and 590 bird species, including several endangered species.
However, it faces threats from illegal logging, farming, and mining, according to a 2012 report.
Last month, a joint security team expelled the occupants from “Camp America,” one of 13 known settlements in the park. “Operation Restore Hope IV” safeguards the park and combats illegal migration in the southeast. It also addresses financial and wildlife crimes, as well as human and drug trafficking.
After their deployment, the security team held mass meetings with community members and sent messages to camp masters, giving them a two-week ultimatum to vacate the park. Then they set up bases in Korjahyee, John Wolo Village, and Nyennawliken in Sinoe, Grand Gedeh, and River Gee, respectively.
“We are working cooperatively and removing them from the park,” John Smith, Sapo’s Chief Park Warden. The move was meant to improve relations between adjacent communities and security forces, added Smith.
After the ultimate expired, people still fanned around. So, the joint security forces blocked the park’s entrances, which compelled some occupants to vacate.
Next, the team walked nine hours into Camp America to remove the remaining occupants. There, they assembled occupants, explained their mission, and profiled the occupants. Then the exodus began.
A man stands next to the grave of Friday Pyne, a ranger with the Forestry Development Authority. Pyne was killed in 2017 by a mob of local rioters. Picture credit: James Giahyue
“There was no food or goods in the area. So, after that, we all left and came out of the bush,” Shedrach Pyne. He—no relation to the late Friday Pyne—had spent a month mining gold in the park.
The security forces searched the occupants. Female soldiers searched the woman, while the male soldiers searched the men.
They seized illicit drugs and a bottle of mercury, according to an unpublished report of the operation, seen by The DayLight. No arrests were made, as illegal miners were allowed to take their belongings, including water pump machines.
Joint security forces then demolished the makeshift structures the miners had used to pillage the reserve.
Security forces are now preparing to clear the remaining camps in the park.
Top: Pellokon Town in the Seekon District, Sinoe County. The DayLight/Esau Farr
By Esau Farr and Carlucci Cooper
SEEKON – Two DayLight reporters narrowly escaped a masked dancer last Wednesday in the Seekon Pellokon Community Forest in Sinoe County.
Reporters Esau Farr and Carlucci Cooper were covering a contract-signing ceremony the next day as part of an investigation when a masked dancer, commonly known as “country devil,” approached.
“It was a terrifying experience, as we thought we had come to the end of our journalism careers,” said Farr, a senior reporter with the newspaper. “My stomach stirred uncontrollably when I heard the sound of the masked dancer.”
The reporters ran into a nearby house, but their nightmare was far from over. A few minutes after they arrived, a townsman knocked at the door, calling Farr. The house’s elderly owner opened the door and began conversing with the man in the Kru language.
The man advised Farr and Cooper to leave town in five minutes or blame themselves. The masked dancer was coming to town to get them. Seekon Pellokon was unhappy about the investigation Farr had co-authored, Varney Kamara, DayLight’s senior reporter.
That report found that the Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority, Rudolph Merab, pushed Seekon Pellokon to sign a logging contract with the Liberian Hardwood Corporation, owned by Jihad Akkari, Merab’s friend.
The investigation reviewed Akkari’s link to Euro Liberia Logging, the largest active logging concession in Liberia, including its murky ownership. The investigation also referenced two contracts in neighboring Grand Gedeh, which Akkari had failed, as well as his debarment from operating in Liberia. Akkari, who denies failing any contracts, did not comment on queries regarding his debarment and Euro Logging’s ownership.
Farr and Cooper were familiar with this history and, therefore, were unsurprised by the retaliation. Earlier that day, Junior Kumah, one of Seekon Pellokon’s leaders, had recounted a tense interview he had with The DayLight. Kumah had announced that the newspaper was not allowed to cover the signing ceremony, though he had no such authority.
Having understood the situation, the reporters switched their attention from an investigation to their personal safety.
As a child, Farr remembered in Bong County how masked dancers manhandled “gbolora,” or non-members in the Kpelle or “saykoue deaenayourn” in the Kru language. In one instance, several men were forced to drink the water with which they washed their dirty clothes. Those memories fueled fear and despair in him.
Back in the house, the reporters’ host, an 80-something-year-old woman, added insult to injury. She had been hospitable to the duo all along. However, after her conversation with the man who knocked at the door, her body language suddenly changed.
“‘Why did you come here? Who brought you here?”’ The elderly woman asked the reporters, her face beaming with disgust, disapproval and disregard. “Where are you coming from?”
The Seekon Pellokon Community Forest spans 44,989 hectares. The DayLight/Carlucci Cooper
Her grandchildren appeared to have maintained compassionate faces. However, while the elderly woman and the man conversed, reporters overheard the children’s discussion about the elders deciding a certain man’s fate. “Let them (elders) wait for [nightfall] to beat him,” said one of them. This deepened the reporters’ fear.
Cooper, the younger of the two reporters, was more terrified. He had read how masked dancers and their followers committed crimes with impunity. In 2020, one brutalized two police officers in a town outside Ganta. Two years later, another judge in Bong County caused the Supreme Court to jail six traditional chiefs for six months.
It was not the first time a DayLight journalist had such an experience but this was worse. In 2022, locals in Grand Bassa’s Compound Number One threatened to unleash their masked dancer against Emmanuel Sherman, DayLight’s editor-at-large. A townsman intervened and spared the then 63-year-old any blushes for covering a community forest meeting.
Escape
Minutes after the man’s conversation with the elderly woman, he ordered the reporters out of the town. The said the masked dancer did not want them there and it was in their own interest to leave immediately.
Cooper was troubled by that announcement. Unlike Farr, Cooper had not grown up in the hinterland. However, he had heard that it was abominable for non-members to go outdoors.
Farr, on the other hand, believed the man. He had met him on a previous visit to Seekon Pellokon. So, he convinced a reluctant Cooper to trust the man.
In the meantime, the man asked the motorcycle-taxi driver for his key and rolled the vehicle across a creek.
The reporters followed a guardian their host-turned-savior arranged for them. The three and the motorcycle-taxi driver sneaked through the back door, passed several houses and arrived at the creek to safety.
“In the midst of all these in our hideout, we were hopeful that we could be freed, so we did not give up,” said Farr. “It was only God who intervened on our behalf.”
Despite their ordeal, Farr and Cooper continued their investigation into the expansion of the Seekon Pellokon Community Forest. While working from neighboring communities the following day, they learned that locals sealed their deal with Liberian Hardwood.
CORRECTION: This version of the story corrects the previous version, which mistook a drone shot of the Sapo National Forest for the Seekon Pellokon Community Forest.
The story was a Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ) production.
Top: Marijuana joint security forces seized from illicit miners in the Sapo National Park. Filed picture/Joint Security
By Varney Kamara
KORJAYEE, Sinoe County – Joint security forces have seized a slew of banned substances from illegal occupants in the Sapo National Park, dismantling a major, decades-long illicit drug hub.
Last month, soldiers, police, anti-drug agents, border officers, and forest rangers deployed at “Camp America,” one of the 13 known illegal settlements in the park. So far, some 2,000 people have been removed from the area, and with them an array of drugs from occupants.
“The place is a lawless ground where people are getting drunk with harmful drugs in the camps,” said John Smith, the park’s manager, in an interview with The DayLight in Jaylay Town. “We also heard stories about people getting intoxicated, and a few death cases relating to harmful drugs in the camps.”
Drug abuse is one of the adverse impacts of mining on communities. However, this is the first time the ones associated with the Sapo park, West Africa’s second-largest rainforest, have come to light. Pictures of the seizure in an unpublished official report, seen by DayLight, show heroin, marijuana, tramadol, and the deadly Kush. An unpublished joint security report, seen by The DayLight, said occupants practiced “immoral and cruel acts far away from human civilization.”
Top and here: Several grams of heroin, commonly called Italian white or tar, were seized by joint security forces in the Sapo National Park in August. Filed picture: Joint Security Team
The park’s drug trade is being fueled by Nigerians, Sierra Leoneans, and other nationalities, using land and water routes, according to residents and ex-park occupants alike. Drugs are smuggled into the park at night, eluding rangers.
Many illegal occupants are hooked on drugs, according to ex-occupants DayLight interviewed. After taking in the harmful substance, they bleed from their noses and mouths. In some cases, they die from an overdose.
“Our children are spoiled with drugs. As a mother of three boy children, I am saddened by the pictures I saw in the camp. When I see a boy child smoking and think about kids, it makes me feel so bad,” said Beatrice Giddings, who ran a business in the 1,804-square-kilometer park. Giddings was speaking to reporters in Korjayee, where the joint security is based, and one of the entrances to the forest.
An AFL soldier searches women for contraband. Filed picture/Joint Security Team
Leaked videos obtained by The DayLight corroborate Giddings’ comments. In one of the videos, a young man is seen crying and begging for mercy while being tied. His cries, however, fall on deaf ears, as his torturers ordered that he be given kush instead. A deadly mixture of chemicals, kush kills about a dozen weekly and hospitalizes thousands in neighboring Sierra Leone. It has wreaked havoc in Liberia since its introduction four years ago.
Nixon Browne, chairman of the Movement for Citizen Action, which advocates for the park’s protection, said people have made illegal drugs a permanent business in the park.
“The camps are a major hideout for this kind of criminal business that the guys need to support their habit,” said Browne. “There are other people who want to live in the camps because there is a drug there.”
Top: Some of the over 2,000 illegal occupants the Armed Forces of Liberia removed from the Sapo National Park in Sinoe County, so far. Filed pictures/Joint Security Forces
By James Harding Giahyue
Monrovia – Joint security forces have removed over 2,000 illegal occupants from the Sapo National Park in a crackdown on transnational crimes and regional insecurity.
A report on “Operation Restore Hope IV,” seen by The DayLight, said the forces had full control over “Camp America,” one of the park’s 13 illegal settlements. It said soldiers had set up camps at one location each in Sinoe, Grand Gedeh and River Gee.
“People were processed into two categories to exit the park: women and children first and then men,” the report said. “The men were also placed into categories to exit the park in order not to overwhelm the officers escorting them out of the park.” The report said some of the illegal occupants fled the camp.
The report said a gradual and humane approach was required to remove the occupants because many had stayed there for over a decade. All entrances to the camp have been shut down, with only people exiting the park allowed, it added.
Over 200 officers walked for nine hours to Camp America in the 697-square-mile Sapo. There, they demolished structures and mines, and seized illegal items before amicably removing occupants.
Pictures in the report show illicit drugs, a bottle of mercury and a single-barreled gun. One picture shows soldiers standing before a crowd of cooperative occupants, with tarpaulin-roofed huts in the background.
Security forces observed that occupants used only the L$500 and L$1,000 notes, with the report calling for an anti-money laundering investigation.
The report also cited a high level of prostitution, human trafficking and cruel acts, which are “far from human civilization.”
Established in 1983, the Sapo National Park is the largest in Liberia and the second largest in the Mano River region. It is home to a variety of endangered species, including African elephants, pygmy hippopotamuses, and western chimpanzees. With the highest diversity of mammal species, it is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.
However, the park has been plagued by illegal activities for decades.
Illegal occupants leave the Sapo National Park in August. Filed picture/Joint Security
The operation is the largest since United Nations peacekeepers removed 5,000 occupants in the 2000s, marking the end of Liberia’s civil wars. It’s part of broader efforts to combat illegal cross-border activities, illicit financial flows, and the influx of undocumented migrants into southeastern Liberia. Immigration authorities have recorded over 54,000 Burkinabés in the region, an EU envoy linked to a Sahel migrant crisis.
In all, the joint security, comprising soldiers, policemen, border guards, rangers and anti-drug agents, intend to remove an estimated 15,000. They are expected to move to the other 12 known camps, including the most infamous Camps Afghanistan and Iraq.
Top: 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.
Sapo National Park (SNP) is one of Liberia’s greatest natural treasures. Globally, it is recognized as both an Important Bird Area and a Key Biodiversity Area, underscoring its irreplaceable value for avian conservation and biodiversity. Regionally, SNP contains the second-largest area of intact tropical rainforest in West Africa, after Cote d’Ivoire’s Tai National Park, and stands as Liberia’s first and largest protected area.
The park provides critical habitat for the pygmy hippopotamus–found only in the Mano River Union countries–with Liberia hosting the largest population. It also shelters the largest population of western chimpanzees in Liberia, making the country second only to Guinea in West Africa for this endangered species. Moreover, SNP holds Liberia’s most significant population of African forest elephants, a species now severely threatened across the region.
Concerns with the De-Gazettement Proposal
Hon. Thomas Romeo Quioh’s proposal to partially or fully de-gazette Sapo National Park (SNP) raises serious concerns. While socio-economic development and community welfare are essential, any alteration of SNP’s legal status must be consistent with Liberia’s constitutional mandate, national legislation, and international commitments to environmental protection and sustainable development. De-gazettement would violate these obligations, undermine conservation gains, and risk irreversible ecological damage.
This initial response highlights key legal frameworks that support the preservation of SNP, emphasizing the importance of upholding Liberia’s environmental obligations and the long-term ecological and socio-economic consequences of de-gazettement. A subsequent response – scheduled for release in the coming days – will examine the economic benefits Liberia can gain (monetary and non-monetary benefits) from ecotourism, carbon sequestration, and other sustainable practices associated with the park and other protected areas in the country.
1. International Legal Frameworks Upholding Conservation of Sapo National Park
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, 1992): Liberia has committed to conserving biological diversity (Articles 6 and 8) and to meet the 30X30 target under the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which requires protecting at least 30% of the world’s land and sea areas to be under effective protection and sustainable management by 2030. De-gazettement would directly undermine this goal.
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971) and UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Programme: SNP’s wetlands provide vital ecosystem services such as water regulation, carbon storage, and climate resilience. Downsizing or de-gazetting the park would diminish these services and harm local livelihoods.
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) & REDD+ Initiatives: Liberia commits to forest protection to mitigate climate change through reducing deforestation. De-gazettement of SNP would lead to deforestation, forest degradation, carbon emissions, and loss of international climate financing opportunities
2. National Legal Protection and Policy Frameworks
Constitution of Liberia (Article 7): Mandates sustainable use and conservation of natural resources for present and future generations.
Liberia Forestry Reform Law (2006): Mandates the protection of forest reserves and national parks for sustainable development and environmental preservation. It provides mechanisms for review but strongly emphasizes conservation and does not facilitate facile removal of protected status without stringent assessments and multi-stakeholder consultation.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Act of 2003: Demands comprehensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) before any action that could harm protected ecosystems. No such ESIA has been conducted for SNP’s de-gazettement
Land Rights Act (2018): While affirming customary land ownership, this law requires coordination with environmental protection efforts. The presence of communities within the park’s boundaries necessitates integrated land-use planning without compromising ecological integrity, not wholesale de-gazettement.
National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP 2017): Commits Liberia to expanding, not reducing, its network of protected areas.
3. Conservation and Sustainable Development Interdependence
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Particularly SDG 15 (Life on Land): Obligates countries to sustainably manage forests and halt biodiversity loss. De-gazettement of SNP would contravene this goal and risk isolating Liberia from international development partnerships.
Long-Term Socio-Economic Impacts: While some short-term economic gains may arise from legalizing mining and logging, these are outweighed by biodiversity loss, disruption of ecosystem services (such as water regulation and soil conservation), and increasing vulnerability of local communities to environmental degradation.
4. Addressing Enforcement and Governance Challenges without De-Gazettement
The proposal rightly identifies enforcement and governance as challenges, yet de-gazettement is not the sole or best solution. Alternatives supported by conservation laws include:
Strengthening the institutional capacity of the Forestry Development Authority, EPA, and law enforcement with adequate financing, training, and community empowerment.
Enhancing community-based natural resource management, offering genuine benefit-sharing schemes under existing legal frameworks to incentivize conservation.
Creating the enabling environment and infrastructure for sustainable ecotourism as part of diversified local economies, consistent with national forest and wildlife policies.
5. Risks of Creating a Precedent for Protected Area Downgrading
Partial or full de-gazettement would set a dangerous precedent, inviting similar moves across other protected areas and emboldening illegal encroachment, contrary to the global principle of “no net loss” of biodiversity or natural ecosystems.
6. Conclusion
Sapo National Park is not only a symbol of Liberia’s heritage but also a cornerstone of its environmental obligations and sustainable development ambitions. De-gazettement would cause lasting ecological, social, and economic harm, eroding Liberia’s credibility in global environmental governance. The responsible path forward is to improve governance, strengthen enforcement, empower communities, and pursue sustainable economic models that keep SNP intact for future generations.
Author: Saah A. David, Jr. – Development Practitioner, REDD+ and Climate Change Specialist. Former Natural Resource Management Specialist – USAID-Liberia, former National REDD+ Coordinator Liberia. Co-authored two books – Sustainable Forest Management (SFM in Liberia – The 4 Cs Approach and Sustainable Forest Management in Liberia (SFM) – Practices and Approaches
