Twelve illegal miners namely, Sheku Sesay, Mustapha Nyallay, Ibrahim Kamara, Sesay Mohamed, Alie Kargbo, Ibrahim Kamara, Yankuba Koroma, Mohamed Kamara, Salieu Bangura, Osman Sesay, Sillah Conteh and Kargbo Mohamed RSLAF 18179272 were on 26th February 2012 arrested at about 1:30pm illegally mining gold in the Gola Rainforest National Park (GRNP) at Baoma near Nomo chiefdom in the Kenema district.
The Gola Forest Programme (GFP) is operating in seven chiefdoms in the South and Eastern regions along with the Across the River Trans-boundary Peace Park Project (ARTP) for Liberia and Sierra Leone. Both projects are financed by the European Union under the EuropeAid programme. The ARTP is operating in the community forests of the four chiefdoms in the two districts while the GFP is operating in the reserved forests in the seven chiefdoms. The two projects have forest rangers and forest guards that are there to protect the forest from illegal activities but yet still some people within the country and out of the country are bent on carrying out illegal activities in the forest, thereby sabotaging the president of Liberia and Sierra Leone who afirmed their committment in the protection of the forest on 15th May, 2009 during the launching of the Across the River Trans-boundary Peace Park Project for Liberia and Sierra Leone. Illegal activities has intensified in the Gola Rainforest National Park since 3rd of December 2011 when the President of Sierra Leone Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma declared the Gola Forest as the Gola Rainforest National Park in a small village of Lalehun in the Gaura chiefdom. The GFP has teamed up with the national security (OSD) to ensure that the president’s commitment in conserving the forest still stands. But yet, still scores of people including some military personel have been arrested in the forest charged to court for illegal activities in the forests.
Speaking to the team leader of team (3) three about the recent arrest Unisa Alie P. Kallon of the forest guard explained that they met about fifty young men actively engaged in gold mining including one military personel who was fully dressed in military fatigue having a short gun raffle (single barrel) in his hand building confidence in the miners and threatening to shoot any Forest Guard around. He says when the OSD personel Emmanuel Kpoto in their midst gave command for the miners to be arrested, the military personel fired two shots in their direction and was trying to reload the third catridge when a forest guard named Lansana D. Mansaray rushed at him. He allegedly hit the guard with the gun but was subsequently overpowered. Another gun shot was also heard in the forest not far from their location. He was arrested with other civilians who were then taken to the Gola Forest office in Kenema where they were subsequently handed over to the police at the Kenema Police Division for legal action.
Speaking to the coordinator of the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone / Across the River Trans-boundary Peace Park Project (CSSL / ARTP) for Sierra Leone and Liberia Alfred H.B.Roberts about illegal activities going on in the Gola Rainforest National Park especially in the Nomo axis, he expressed fear of an imminent armed confrontation between the forest guards and the illegal miners who were usually caught with arms and ammunitions in the Gola Rainforest National Park noting that it might one day result to something negative. He therefore appealed to the government to take the lead role in resolving the present situation.
By Saffa Moriba
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