-As ERU personnel leave Cape Mount bloody, several dead, many wounded
By Jerromie S. Walters
Thursday, February 29, 2024, will be doted in the historical file of residents of Kinjor, and Grand Cape Mount County in general, especially when they retrospect on the horrible scene it left after citizens and workers took to the streets to protest against alleged labor injustices and other grievances involving Bea Mountain, a gold mining company operating in the County.
The situation turned chaotic late Wednesday and early Thursday, February 29, 2024, when confrontations between the protesters and ERU personnel took a violent turn.
Eyewitnesses reported instances of live ammunition being fired into the crowd, resulting in numerous protesters sustaining serious injuries at the hands of the security forces.
The conflict further spiraled out of control as the armed personnel resorted to excessive force, leading to multiple fatalities and a significant number of individuals being left wounded and dead.
Residents of Kinjor and concerned workers from Grand Cape Mount County condemned the heavy-handed actions of the security forces and called for government intervention to prevent such tragedies from recurring in the future.
Allegations of Sexual Abuse
In a terrific account, resident Jennet Kayea shared her ordeal during the violent clashes. She recounted how some members of the Emergency Respond Unit (ERU) of the Liberia National Police (LNP) allegedly not only subjected her to physical abuse but also attempted to sexually assault her.
Recalling the traumatic experience, Jennet revealed, “They even went as far as entering the room along with me, put hands in my under-clothe and tried to have sexual intercourse with me. I fought hard to catch two ERU officers, I called them inside but nobody couldn’t come and then that’s how they wasted the teargas on me.” She narrated how their home was invaded and how she was touched inappropriately.
She added, “I know them good, if I see them right now I know the two of them. The two that took my brother and the two that jumped on me. When I see them right now, I know them. They have two people from our town and we still don’t know where they took them. They beat our father unmercifully, they didn’t joke with him.”
She went on to identify the individuals involved in the disturbing incident, expressing her anguish over the disappearance of two community members taken away by the security forces.
Jennet also highlighted the brutal treatment inflicted upon her father during the clashes, emphasizing the urgent need for accountability and justice in the wake of such egregious misconduct.
For the record, Janet told reporters that she and her family weren’t among the protesters, but upon the AFL personnel’s arrival at their home, they instructed them to go inside but they refused. “They keep insisting that I should go inside, but I told them that I was not going inside so they started firing teargas.”
House’s intervention
Speaker Koffa Sets Up Ad-hoc Intervention Committee to Probe Ongoing Protest at Bea Mountain Mining Company in Cape Mount
In response to the recent protest at Bea Mountain Mining Company in Cape Mount, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Cllr. Fonati Koffa has taken decisive action by establishing an Ad-hoc Intervention Committee.
According to the House Press Bureau, the committee is tasked with conducting a thorough investigation into the issues surrounding the protest, ensuring a fair and impartial inquiry.
The legislative delegation, comprising esteemed members such as Representative Yekeh Kolubah, Dixon Seboe, Eugene Kollie, Emmanuel Dahn, Foday Fahnbulleh, Edward Flomo, and three lawmakers from Cape Mount, is en route to Cape Mount today.
This delegation, as deputies of the people, demonstrates the commitment of the House of Representatives to work in the best interest of the citizens.
The Ad-hoc Intervention Committee will work diligently to gather facts, engage stakeholders, and present a comprehensive report that will guide future actions and decisions.
The House emphasized its dedication to addressing the concerns of the people and fostering a resolution that ensures justice and fairness. The House of Representatives also called for calm and cooperation from all parties involved, urging citizens to trust in the investigative process.
AFL, ERU Personnel Withdrawal
Tuesday, February 27, 2024, the Plenary of the House of Representatives of Liberia cordially agreed that the Speaker set up a committee to probe into the matter in two weeks, surrounding the need to request the executive to authorize the withdrawal of Army and the ERU personnel assigned at facilities of Bea Mountain. The House decided following a communication from Mohammed Dosii, Representative, District #2 Grand Cape Mount County, requesting the indulgence of the Hon. House to ensure an immediate pullback of the Army and the ERU personnel assigned at facilities of Bea Mountain.
In his communication, Representative Mohammed Dosii noted: “I present compliments from the great people of District #2, Grand Cape Mount County, and wish to bring to the attention of this august body, an earnest content that is worth considering for our country and our constituents.” He added: “Upon my visitation and community engagement with my constituent on the weekend, at the Bea Mountain in Konjor, Gola Konneh District, I took a keen note of several officers of the Amed Forces of Liberia (AFL) and the Emergency Respond Unit of the Liberia National Police (ERU) personnel deployed at the company facilities.”
Subsequently, he said on February 14, a group of peaceful citizens constellated at the company gate to peacefully express their disappointment in the company management, concerning the company’s faithful continued bad labor habits or pattern. “Unfortunately, on the said day our people were u-belabored by the personnel of the Armed Forces of Liberia and the Emergency Respond Unit.”
Representative Dosii, “Hon. Speaker and distinguished colleagues, with the above advertence, I write to request the indulgence of this honorable body for the immediate pullback of Amy and the ERU personnel from the company facilities and the community (Kinjor), Because our people need free movement and the army need to be in the barrack and not among civilians.”
Additionally, he noted, “I am also urging your indulgence to look in the direction of inviting the head of management of the company and the Amed Forces of Liberia (AFL) with the Liberia National Police (LNP) to familiarize this august body with their demeanor against our people and to tell us the reason (s) for the present of their officers or unit assigned at the Kinjor, Bea Mountain facilities.”
In August 2023, the Senate ratified a request from former President George Weah to extend the Mineral Development Agreement of Bea Mountain Mining Corporation (BMC) for an additional 25 years. The expansion allows the company, primarily involved in the export of raw gold from Liberia, to continue its operations until 2046.
Initially expected to expire in approximately three years, the request for an early extension has raised concerns about the Senate’s decision-making process as the company agreement was fast-tracked.
It, however, remains unclear whether the Senate thoroughly reviewed the previous agreement to ascertain if Bea Mountains met all of its commitments as stipulated before hastily passing the restated and amended agreement. Under the new 25-year agreement, the company is expected to make an additional investment of US$520 million.
In June 2022, the African Youth Peer Review Committee (AYPRC) filed a 10 Million United States Dollars legal suit against the management of the Bea Mountain Mining Company (BMMC) for reportedly violating the rights of people living in the company’s operational area. The AYPRC’s legal suit which was accompanied by a joint resolution from residents of Jehkandor Town in Gaworlor District, Grand Cape Mount County was encapsulated with several counts, created as a result of chemical pollution by the BMMC’s operations in the county.
An AYPRC release Issued in Monrovia quotes the group Executive Director Jeedlee Kinnii as saying that the company has blatantly violated the rights of residents of Jehkandor Community by polluting the only water source used by citizens within that area. According to Kinni, upon his organization’s visitation to the Jehkandor Town in Grand Cape Mount, it was observed that the management of Bea Mountain had failed to put in place safety measures that would have protected residents from the chemical spillage that have affected every faucet of the community.
