–Supt. Nyensuah Calls All-Hand-On-Deck For Solution
The Sapo National Park, which is one of Liberia’s prestigious heritage, is at the verge of total destruction—if the government and locals fail protective collaboration to safe the park from illegal miners.
The Sapo National Park, enacted into law 1983, is about 180,365 hectares, demarcating three counties with 74 surrounding towns and villages.
The park, which once upon a time was a tourist site of attraction that contributed to the country’s economy and provided scholarships, is gradually going in the drain due to the influx of illegal miners in pursuit of greener pastures.
The illegal miners are fugitives, unemployed youths, husbands, unmarried men, women from every county of Liberia, foreign nationals who have settled there and are supporting their families from illegal mining proceeds.
The gravity of the offense has reached President Joseph N. Boakai, who ordered Sinoe County’s Superintendent, Peter Wleh Nyensuah, to sternly admonish those involved to desist or they would face the wrath of the law.
In view of the foregoing, Superintendent Nyensuah, along with his office staffers, the county’s Attorney, police commander, prison commander, Liberia Immigration Service commander, Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency commander, head of Ministry of Public Work, National Security Agency head, journalists, and so on, sojourned for a six-day tour holistically warning citizens and foreigners, from district to district and town to town, to immediately leave the park.
“The destruction of the park has reached the President because your children are in the park cutting down trees and illegally mining,” Superintendent Nyensuah sounded a stern caveat to the people of Sinoe County and others. “I have come to talk to you so that you can call your children back from the park.”
The superintendent, along with his entourage, first visited Chewlue Town, Wacaba District, and the headquarters of the park, which is at Jalay Town, and extended the trip to Chabioh Town, Korjahyee, Pyne Town, Voogbadee, Pellokon City, Jedepo Nyennwliken, Juazon Statutory District, and so on.
In some of the towns, jostling crowd triumphantly welcomed Superintendent Nyensuah with traditional songs and bush master celebration.
The illegal mining in the Sapo National Park is being aided and abetted by locals and some government officials in the county. The superintendent said he is aware, but warned them to desist or he will arrest them. Some townspeople harbor the illegal miners by lodging them and using their houses as repository of the goods and equipment.
“Sinoe County problem is plenty, but we are our own problem,” Superintendent Nyensuah said. “We have a list of government officials that are part of the illegal mining. Chiefs, paramount chiefs, clan chiefs, and commissioners, mayors.”
Superintendent Nyensuah said he got the information before his county tour, but promised not to arrest anyone on the tour; he would warn them, and if they continued after the tour he would order their arrest—and all those involved.
However, for prima facie evidence, Superintendent Nyensuah sent for men assigned to the Sapo National Park, who came with horrible news.
They said that there are many entrances to the park, but these areas are the main ones: Korjahyee, 6-hour walk to “America” area of the park; Doeduaken, 7-hour walk to “Iraq”, “Egypt”, “New Creation”, “New Liberia”, communities of the park. Kwateken, 4-hour walk to “Afghanistan”; Nyennwliken, 9-hour walk to “Afghanistan” and “Beirut”. These are names of communities established by illegal miners.
The name of the camp master for “America” is Christopher Bailey, and the traditional leader is Prince Gartey, commonly known as Juekwadeeyor.
The illegal miners justify their action by saying they occupy the park due to the lack of jobs for youth of the communities surrounding the park; failure of FDA to established community watch forum as a means of empowering the community dwellers surrounding the park that they may become empowered financially for their children to good education; failure on the part of FDA and government to undertake development in affected communities that are depending on mining, hunting, farming, fishing, and son on.
The Sarpo National Park is being hugely damaged due to the huge mining activities that are causing the protected species to escape to neighboring countries, as well as the cultivation and undermining of trees and pollution of waters.
However, life in the park is financially secure, but with lot of challenges due to the lack of communication, poor healthcare and most of all jungle justice, which is the order of the day.
Prescription Paracetamol is sold for L$400, and a single light bulb for electricity is L$1,000 per night.
The women of Pyne Town are calling on government to find jobs for their husbands and children, citing poor buying for their parched farina.
The Rangers of the park are challenged: they lack logistics, especially firearm, and they are about forty, according to Nora G. Bowier, Deputy Manager for Community Conservation and Carbon of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA).
“First of all, the number of rangers is small. That is one of the reasons we have people entering the park,” Bowier said. She added that the road leading to the park’s headquarters is deplorable, and that the headquarters lacks safe-drinking water, electricity, internet and communication services.
Bowier said the manager of the park is supervised by the FDA, and because the number of rangers are not enough they have collaborated with partners and created the Eco-guard, which is an auxiliary group to the rangers, but it is community-based.
She also decried low budgetary constraint, hoping that government will gradually address the issues affecting the park through its international partners.
Pictures from the park show consequential mining action, makeshift structures of miners’ camps, dig holes, gravesite, fallen trees, and so on.
