—- As One Person Reported Dead

IPNEWS: Fingers are now pointed at Grand Cape Mount Representative, Mohammed Doii, of being the mastermind of last week’s deadly cashes which left at least one dead according to the government of Liberia, even though initial figures put the dead three persons, in Tawore District, Kinjor, Grand Cape Mount County, where the commercial gold mining company Bea Mountain Mining Corporation (BMMC) located.

According to Liberia’s Information Minister, Jeronlinmek Piah, the violent protests over the presence of an armed force in mining areas in the country’s northwest resulted in the death of one demonstrator and multiple injuries.

Pah told a press briefing that both protesters and police were armed when the clashes erupted on Thursday in the mining town of Kinjor leaving one dead with several injuries accounted for, while 18 protesters were arrested.

According to him, the protests followed a demand by the mining district’s lawmaker, Mohammed Dosii, who on Tuesday asked for an immediate withdrawal of armed guards in the community and at the gold mine operated by Bea Mountain Mining Company.

“Our people need free movement and the army needs to be in the barracks and not among civilians,” Dosii told lawmakers in the House of Representatives. Contracting armed officers prioritized the interests of foreign companies that deplete Liberia’s mineral wealth, over the safety of its citizens, he added.

Article 42, of the Liberian constitution states: “No member of the Senate or House of Representatives shall be arrested, detained, prosecuted or tried as a result of opinions expressed or votes cast in the exercise of the functions of his office. Members shall be privileged from arrest while attending, going to or returning from sessions of the Legislature, except for treason, felony or breach of the peace. All official acts done or performed, and all statement made in the Chambers of the Legislature shall be privileged, and no Legislator shall be held accountable or punished thereof”.

However, Piah, blamed the discontent in the mining sector on the previous administration, led by former President George Weah who lost the election last November to Joseph Boakai.

IPNEWS reporter who visited the scene with lawmakers from Monrovia and the County said residents of Grand Cape Mounty County had accused the police’s Emergency Response Unit (ERU) assigned at the concession area of allegedly discharging live bullets.

 

Part of the protesters’ demand is to have one of their sons represented at the BMMC’s senior management level and distribution of electricity. They are also protesting for other benefits as indicated in the Mineral Development Agreement signed in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the company and the county. Protesters have told our reporter that they were peacefully protesting when the LNP officers went on the scene and demanded their forceful removal.

 

But they said they resisted the police’s order, allegedly prompting the officers to discharge live bullets.

The citizens accused the LNP of killing three protesters through the discharge of the alleged live bullet, but the LNP has denied the report.

On the ground, several lawmakers headed by the House of Representatives Chair on Executive Mr. Emmanuel Dahn and Representative Yekeh Kolubah of Montserrado County went to Grand Cape Mount County to negotiate peace.

Speaking to the aggrieved protesters, Representative Dahn urged them to be calm and patient, adding that their concerns are very legitimate and will be addressed.

After listening to the Representatives, the protesters agreed to abandon the protest but gave the lawmakers a one-week deadline to address their plights.

“We have listened to everything that you have said, and we have decided to disengage from this protest. However, we are giving you a week’s deadline to address this concern. Failure on your part, we will continue our protest,” the residents said.

 

However, the LNP on late Thursday evening, 29 February 2024, dispatched and deployed operational and investigative teams to the incident scene following the violent protest between Bea Mountain Mining Company and the locals. The LNP in a statement indicated that the team of investigators was dispatched by Police Inspector General Col. Gregory Coleman.

 

Weah was elected in 2017 after promising to fight corruption, poverty and generate infrastructure development. It was the first democratic transfer of power in the mineral-rich West African nation since the end of the country’s back-to-back civil wars between 1989 and 2003 that killed some 250,000 people.

Liberia has seen many protests over its mining sector, rich in gold, iron ore and diamonds, mostly over poor working conditions and the perception that foreign workers are given more opportunities over Liberian nationals.

The incident sheds light on the growing discontent among Liberians towards the operations of Bea Mountain Mining Company and the presence of armed guards, igniting a debate on the prioritization of foreign companies over local safety and well-being.

The recent clash in Kinjor is a stark reminder of the complexities surrounding Liberia’s mineral wealth, including gold, iron ore, and diamonds. As the government investigates the death and the circumstances leading to the protest, a critical question looms: Can a balance be struck that respects the rights and safety of Liberian citizens while harnessing the country’s mineral resources for economic development? This incident calls for a reevaluation of policies governing foreign companies and their operations, emphasizing the need for a development model that is inclusive, equitable, and sustainable, ensuring that Liberia’s wealth benefits its most valuable resource – its people.