IPNEWS: Thirty-five communities along the Maffah River in Grand Cape Mount County, have formally called on the Liberian government to halt the expansion of Bea Mountain Mining Corporation (BMMC).
At a press conference held in Wangekor Town, residents and local leaders voiced their intense frustration over ongoing environmental damage, judicial delays, and what they describe as the government’s failure to properly intervene.
The primary components of the community’s demands and the status of the dispute include the affected communities who are seeking US$100 million in damages for severe environmental contamination stemming from a June 2022 chemical spill that severely polluted the Maffah River. The case is currently gridlocked before the Supreme Court of Liberia, and residents are protesting the judicial delays while the company continues to grow.
The 35 communities are also demanding that the government, under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, immediately suspend BMMC’s expansion activities until the legal dispute is resolved. Local representatives have warned that if their grievances are not met, they may seek a writ of prohibition to legally freeze all company operations or take steps to physically block access to the area.
According to local advocacy groups like the Institute for Environmental Protection (IFEP), the chemical discharge into the freshwater ecosystem has caused a severe ecological crisis. It has resulted in a massive loss of biodiversity, the extinction of local aquatic species, disrupted food chains, and destroyed the primary source of drinking water and livelihood for thousands of citizens.
Beyond the financial compensation, the communities are demanding environmental restoration, immediate medical attention for affected families, the distribution of safe drinking water tanks, and a complete reconstitution of government assessment teams to include civil society and local community representation.
This public outcry follows a history of environmental friction between Grand Cape Mount residents and the Turkish-owned gold mining company. The EPA of Liberia has previously fined and sanctioned BMMC for multiple violations, including separate toxic spills that contaminated nearby creeks and caused extensive fish kills
