Gorblee Town –Liberia’s artisanal mining sector is inundated with illegal miners, many of whom are foreigners who run small companies in agreements with communities to extract minerals.
Although Liberia’s 2019 Community Land Rights Law grants exclusive rights to concession communities to negotiate contracts with concessionaires, many of these communities lack knowledge about the value of their resources and the environmental impacts company mining activities can have on them.
As Liberia grapples with irregular water patterns, deforestation, and land degradation, the impact of lack of climate and environmental education by locals who negotiate mining deals at the back of central authorities is particularly concerning.
This is the case of six mining towns in River Cess County.
Gorblee, Wesseh, Sand, Vion, Gbassagee, and Kpaqueh host varied artisanal mining companies, including GMCS, which is owned and operated by Chinese nationals, and a few others run by Ghanaian miners
The companies have signed agreements with these communities many times in the absence of lawyers and people versed in the mining sector or people with real-time knowledge of corporate social responsibility arising from mining activities. Owning to this lack of structured and legally binding agreements, some of the companies have failed to honor even what seems to be the easiest responsibilities to the commitments despite operating for years. The communities are then left to struggle endlessly with no solution from relevant duty-bearers.
So, community leaders say, unfortunately, the involvement of public officials often brings politics and corruption into play, allowing these companies to bribe their way through and return under different names but with the same management, and equipment and to do similar mining activity. A Chinese national identified only as “Alvin” first approached the communities with his group of miners and started mining in 2021 promising to build roads, schools, clinics etc.
He would later abandon his commitments to the communities, vacate the mining site, and reappear in November 2023 with a new company called GMCS. The company, although operating under a new name and management team now, retains the same staff and equipment as its predecessor (Old name here) did.
GMCS again promised to build schools, farm-to-market roads, a clinic, and hand pumps, and employ poor villagers. GMCS, however, it for the second time honored its obligations and eventually left the area again. The affected communities angered by the abandonment arrested a few staff and took GMCS to court. They would later compensate the community with US$4, 500.00 in March 2024. Our reporter crossed the hour-one-long Cestos River to investigate the situation and was handed a copy of one of the agreements with the community.
Rebecca Zor, a 50-year-old women leader and mother of eight, expressed concerns about the depletion of their mineral resources without benefiting the community. She recalled that in 2020, a group of Chinese nationals agreed to construct a road from Sudan Village to the Cestos River and build a clinic and school in the community. However, after two years of their five-year concession agreement, they failed to honor any of the terms and left abruptly.
“They initially came with a representative named Alvin. We assembled all the communities, and both parties signed a five-year agreement. They promised to build the road from Sudan to the Cestos River, construct schools, clinics, and hand pumps, but left overnight without fulfilling their promises,” she said in her local Bassa dialect.
Rebecca Zor noted that their second engagement was under the GMCS mining company, led by Abednego James as their liaison officer. Despite the new management team, the company only managed to construct one hand pump in one community and again failed to live up to their promises before leaving.
Bill Sumo, the town chief of Kpaquah Community, mentioned that although the company violated the first agreement and returned under different management with the same staff and equipment, they eventually complied with some terms after being taken to court by the six communities.
He explained that during the first visit, the Chinese company promised to build roads, schools, and clinics, but left after citizens pressured them over their non-compliance. He added that local administration and district authorities had been heavily involved in the initial conversations, but the promises were not fulfilled.
Sumo accused GMCS Mining Company of betraying the community by abandoning the area despite having signed a two-year concession agreement. He also noted that the communities were unable to voice their concerns under the Coalition for Democratic Change Administration.
Just before their arrival in 2022 in Cestos City, several angry youths who originated from the six affected communities initially filed a complaint at the Cestos City Magisterial Court on signing bogus agreement with their elders. They accused the company of collaborating with mining agents and some county officials to mislead the citizens in signing the agreements which they believe is not in the interest of their communities and was abandoned by the company.
“This company is the same Chinese mining company that signed an agreement with our people and failed to live up to that agreement, and after three years of operation they unceremoniously left the county. They fooled our people to sign,” Stephen Gbasaygee, a member of the agitated youths said at the time.
However, circumstances surrounding the case are yet to be established as there are reports that a senior county official and authorities of the Mines Ministry bribed the aggrieved youth to dismiss the case. The youths have however denied these claims and instead blamed mining agents for the proliferation of illicit mining in Rivercess County.
Muchain George, the 60-year-old women’s leader of Kpaqueh Community, highlighted the marginalization of women in concession negotiations. Despite women being listed as representatives in agreements, actual negotiations and work involved only men. She emphasized that while the Land Rights Law gives women explicit rights, they still face significant marginalization at the community level.
River Cess County Attorney Martin M. Tumoe mentioned he has not been informed about many agreements and only learns of issues when agreements backfire. Former Superintendent Bismark Karbiah and former Mining Agent Amos Weah-Toe have faced accusations of soliciting funds and gold from foreign nationals to permit operations in these communities—allegations they deny. The affected community also reported that Amos Wiah-Toe and Fasu V, Shariff who was then the police commander for River Cess masterminded the escape of Alvin and his crew.
Current Superintendent Byron Zahnwhea has promised to review the activities of the mining sector in the county. However, affected communities remain concerned as GMCS has breached its agreement.
GMCS holds a Class B Mining License (AM 2005422) to operate in the Morweh Mining District from January 12, 2022, to January 11, 2027, but has been operating in Yarnee District, contrary to its license. The company fled Morweh Mining District in 2021 after traditional authorities allegedly invaded their site due to non-compliance with agreements. Reports indicated damage of equipment worth over $280,000 and injuries to two security officers. Chinese concessioners in the area have faced serious criticism and legal action for dubious activities.
By Gabriel B. Sawah
