Sapo National Park, Who is Encouraging illicit Mining?

With growing concerns among citizens, law enforcement officers and government officials on illegal activities in Sapo National Park, it has claimed the attention of rural news reporters, with the rural reporters news network of Liberia launching a swift investigation in to the development.  

The park is large as over 180 km, linking three southeastern counties, Grand Gedeh, River Gee and Sinoe Counties. Established since the 80s, the park is being manage by the Liberia Forestry Development Authority FDA with trained Liberians as Rangers to provide security to every protected area of government reserved forest, with the Sapo National Park happens to be the largest reserved among others rain-forest in Liberia. Since the establishment of the park, it has face and continue to face serious challenge in providing maximum protection for its 180 plus km land area, thou leaving the park venerable in the hands of intruders for illegal activities like mining and hunting among others.

As attempted by previous governments in past years, the government of President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, mandated the Arm Forces of Liberia to take over the security aspect of the park to prevent every illegal activity into the park, this mandate took effect in July of 2025 with over fifty troop of the AFL assigned at various entry points. After the deployment of AFL Personnels, in less than five months the army was accused for allegedly accepting bribes from citizens to allow them enter in the park to do their illegal mining.

The allegation singled out several officers of the army, including Major Chesson, head of the troop through videos and photos who according to information were all investigated and those found guilty would be prosecuted in line with AFL Standard. To maintain the President’s ordered, another troop headed by lieutenant Abraham Hordges was send to the park in late 2025. Unlike the previous troop who preferred to operate without any joint security effort, the troops under Lieutenant Hordges didn’t mind to work along with the FDA Rangers for joint operations in preventing illegal entry into the Sapo National Park.

Park.

Since the deployment of thejoint operations (AFL&FDA), it has been a little over a half year; in recent time, there have been speculations alleging that the Hordges led troops and the Rangers are compromising illegal entry into the park in exchange of cash. Sources within the community told our investigation that since the army and the FDA Rangers took assignment there had been more people entering the park to do mining, excusing both FDA Rangers and AFL officers for allegedly collecting huge sum of money from miners as a means of allowing them to enter the park.

“At times the Soldiers people themselves can entered the park and tell  us to work for  them and after two to three days works, whatever mineral we get it can be given to them and they will give us the go ahead for like one or two weeks to hustle for ourselves, when they go outside, other people can start coming in; sometimes we collect over three  to four millions Liberian Dollars as due from people who get katakata while those with water pump machine either pay their due with gold or in cash”. Narrated a resident of Payns Town, and part of the traditional team in side camp America, who fear to be named for his security.

When ask as to whether the FDA Rangers can be part of the operations, our source didn’t deny or admit but noted that they can come in group without properly uniformed.  

Our report who visited the park in recent time said there are over five hundred miners, excluding hunters and sellers inside Camp America, Sapo National Park. According to our investigation, gold mining and hunting are the two means people are illegally benefiting from the park. Our investigation further uncovered that there are more youth than older folks and citizens from other counties with Nimbians dominating to carry on mining activities in the Sapo National Park.      

For her part, Madam Ever Soloh, Chairlady of Chealey Town and member of the Community Forest Management Body (CFMB) of the SEWAKAJUAR Community Forest, said both the army and FDA Rangers are not doing well in preventing illegal miners from entering into the park.

“They are compromising the country interest over their personal satisfaction, though the park is maned after we the Sapo People but its now a government property and that is why the president saw the need of sending them to come mind the area but now go do your own investigation as a journalist, so we the community people what you expect from us, especially a place where no job for our children, and mind you, its not only our children in that forest, people from difference counties are all in there doing mining” Solo noted.

According to her since the speculation, alleging that the operations headed by Lieutenant Hordges of the AFL, were receiving bribes for illegal miners to enter the park, there had been series of town hall meetings with local authorities and traditional leaders where lieutenant Hordges and his team ask for collaboration between they and the locals but for her she personally insisted, terming it as belated, questioning request“why now” when at first, they were not recognized. In a very bitter tone, Chairlady Soloh cited “they been here for several months doing what can benefit they alone without regarding we the local leaders in the community until our children started complaining of how they are doing secret business with them by asking them to pay certain amount of money before entering the park to carry on their mining.

Since the deployment of thejoint operations (AFL&FDA), it has been a little over a half year; in recent time, there have been speculations alleging that the Hordges led troops and the Rangers are compromising illegal entry into the park in exchange of cash. Sources within the community told our investigation that since the army and the FDA Rangers took assignment there had been more people entering the park to do mining, excusing both FDA Rangers and AFL officers for allegedly collecting huge sum of money from miners as a means of allowing them to enter the park.

“At times the Soldiers people themselves can entered the park and tell  us to work for  them and after two to three days works, whatever mineral we get it can be given to them and they will give us the go ahead for like one or two weeks to hustle for ourselves, when they go outside, other people can start coming in; sometimes we collect over three  to four millions Liberian Dollars as due from people who get katakata while those with water pump machine either pay their due with gold or in cash”. Narrated a resident of Payns Town, and part of the traditional team in side camp America, who fear to be named for his security.

When ask as to whether the FDA Rangers can be part of the operations, our source didn’t deny or admit but noted that they can come in group without properly uniformed.  

Our report who visited the park in recent time said there are over five hundred miners, excluding hunters and sellers inside Camp America, Sapo National Park. According to our investigation, gold mining and hunting are the two means people are illegally benefiting from the park. Our investigation further uncovered that there are more youth than older folks and citizens from other counties with Nimbians dominating to carry on mining activities in the Sapo National Park.      

For her part, Madam Ever Soloh, Chairlady of Chealey Town and member of the Community Forest Management Body (CFMB) of the SEWAKAJUAR Community Forest, said both the army and FDA Rangers are not doing well in preventing illegal miners from entering into the park.

“They are compromising the country interest over their personal satisfaction, though the park is maned after we the Sapo People but its now a government property and that is why the president saw the need of sending them to come mind the area but now go do your own investigation as a journalist, so we the community people what you expect from us, especially a place where no job for our children, and mind you, its not only our children in that forest, people from difference counties are all in there doing mining” Solo noted.

According to her since the speculation, alleging that the operations headed by Lieutenant Hordges of the AFL, were receiving bribes for illegal miners to enter the park, there had been series of town hall meetings with local authorities and traditional leaders where lieutenant Hordges and his team ask for collaboration between they and the locals but for her she personally insisted, terming it as belated, questioning request“why now” when at first, they were not recognized. In a very bitter tone, Chairlady Soloh cited “they been here for several months doing what can benefit they alone without regarding we the local leaders in the community until our children started complaining of how they are doing secret business with them by asking them to pay certain amount of money before entering the park to carry on their mining.

Soloh added that, the park has turn to elephant meat, “our children were getting their small-small money from the park to make life better for themselves but , people started to complained, the government send the first team of armed men they came and get their own and left and now another team is here taking their own and their big-big people know exactly what is doing on because is hard to believe that the millions of dollars they are collecting from the miners they are not sharing with their bosses, the Sapo National Park is the hub of fast earning cash now because that is where the money is easy to get, if only you comply with the AFL”. Solo cited.

Another female name withheld, further commenting she said though the situation though it is saddened, especially when others citizens from the same communities who are facilitating illegal activities in the park, but added that there is no job opportunity for youth in the area and their source of sustainability is slang without their illegal hustling in the Sapo National Park; claiming to be related to the town chief of Kwejeah, she noted, assumably that, government is not ready yet to take over the Sapo National Park but creating indirect means for other to benefit.

Acknowledging the illegality aspect of mining activities in the park she alleged that FDA is one of the primary factors for all these illegal mining in the park up to present. “FDA get supports every time from international partners like Wide Chimpanzee Foundation WCF and Conservation International among others but we can’t see what they are doing with all the supports they are getting. The rangers that supposed to provide protection for the park, they are not enough and equip, see the houses that are in Jallay Town, the Park Headquarters before even you talk about other towns and villages around this very park that has thedeposit of resources; I still remembered what the current Managing Director of FDA said when he visited here for the first time as MD. He said all the good-good things that he wanted to tell us, since he and his team left over two years now,we are yet to see a jot of those sweet-sweet things he made mentioned; here we are, one hand pump in this town that has over five hundred people, after the rainy season that creek water we can live on, no GSM Network, no health facilitate. My brother, just to touch few of what FDA Managing Director saidhe was going to do, but you can go on with your investigation to find out for yourself” asserted a female resident of Kwejeah.

Another resident, identifies as old-man Kiah, and former head of tradition in his town noted that since he fell out with sickness over a year now, he has not been fully involved with anything that has to do with public interest especially on the Sapo National Park, but his observation has established that there are too many non-residents in their town both day and night; adding that these peoples are seeing every time with heavy loads like begs of rice, containers of gas and mining machine among others but I don’t know where they are carrying them. “People come here with these things but they disappeared overnight and its not my business to go looking and asking. “it can be recalled some few years back when we and the FDA people backed by WCF made some agreement to help get the people out from the park, we went to work and did what they wanted us to do but they refused to pay us what they promised even the logistical support, like motorbikes everything was withdrawn right after the task besides the food and workshop sitting fees they gave us in Grand Gedeh, where the workshop was held at the time” Old-man Kiah concluded.  

Extending our investigation to some local authorities on mining activities inside the Sapo National Park, Honorable Solo Jelley, Sinoe County Traditional Head, said as long as they are not being recognized or included as traditional people in getting the illegal miners from the Park, government and its partners will not success. He cited that they have all the technical knowhow in getting the people out with ease but because they are not recognized, they will sat and wash. According to Jelley, government is forgetting to know that “we are the owners of the Sapo Forest it was in the early 80s this forest was given to national government for development purposes but we the sapopeople are not gaining anything much from government agency that is managing the forest; with all the supports FDA is getting what can they show as a mark in these communities around the park” said Jelley.  

Meanwhile, speaking to our investigation, a high-ranking officer of the FDA Ranger said, they have been working under constrain for several years with less attention from management as major recommendations from the Park Warden Office continue to be downplay. The ranger furthered that for the past few years its Wife Chapimzee Foundation that has been supportive in most of their operations. The ranger narrated that even logistic, it’s WCF that is helping. Speaking on their joint operation with the AFL, he said there has been information of illegal occupants in the Park and the team is aware but he was closed with the authority to speak to the matter because is of security implication, but that plan is underway to curtail every ill happening.  

For his part, AFL Troop Commander and head of the joint security to prevent illegal activities from the Park Lieutenant Abrahan Hordges said they are fully aware that there are people in the park but the situation is difficult to handle; adding that the park has many entrances and more over they are not assigned in the park couple with lack of manpower. “the guys slanged in at night to go in the park and by the time we enter to chase them out they will spread all in the forest and by the time we return they will reorganize and start their operations”, Lieutenant Hordges concluded.   Efforts to get official response from FDA management didn’t materialize up to publication.