The Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia has shut down all operations at Green Forest Mining Camps 1, 2, and 3 in Montserrado County Electoral District #1, saying the company caused “massive environmental degradation and pollution” and operated for months without a required environmental permit.
The enforcement action is the most significant taken so far under the agency’s 2026 nationwide compliance drive. EPA inspectors issued the closure order on Tuesday during the agency’s ongoing Nationwide Environmental Compliance Monitoring Exercise.
The team visited two of Green Forest’s operational camps and documented what they described as extensive destruction of land, waterways, and vegetation linked directly to the company’s mining activities.
Three enforcement notices were served to Green Forest through its Public Relations Officer, Mr. Chris Zanga. The first was a halt order requiring the immediate cessation of all pollution-causing activities. The second was a non-compliance notice for operating without an environmental permit.
The third was an immediate closure order covering all operations associated with Green Forest Camps 1, 2, and 3. EPA Director of Environmental Research and Radiation Safety, Rafael Sarji Ngumbu, said the findings showed a pattern of disregard for Liberia’s environmental safeguards.
“Green Forest had commenced and continued large-scale exploitation activities without obtaining the required Environmental Permit from the EPA,” Mr. Ngumbu said. “This is a direct violation of Liberia’s Environmental Protection and Management Law, and it has created serious risks for nearby communities, public health, and the surrounding ecosystems.”
According to the EPA, the violations fall under Sections 56, 69, 90, and 109 of the Environmental Protection and Management Law of 2003.
Section 56 deals with the prohibition of pollution, Section 69 requires environmental permits for development projects, Section 90 addresses non-compliance with environmental standards, and Section 109 sets out penalties that can include substantial fines and imprisonment.
Under the order, Green Forest must stop all operations immediately. That includes shutting down processing plant activities, halting the use of heavy machinery, and suspending any extraction or excavation work at the three camps.
The company has seven working days to begin full environmental restoration and remediation and must submit a detailed remediation plan to the EPA for review and monitoring. Green Forest was also directed to enter the EPA permitting process and comply with all environmental regulations before the agency will consider any future operations.
The EPA said no resumption of work will be allowed until a valid Environmental Permit is issued and remediation progress is verified. The EPA described the action as part of a wider nationwide push to strengthen compliance, crack down on illegal and unsustainable mining, and protect communities from environmental harm.
The ongoing monitoring exercise has already covered sites in Montserrado, Margibi, and Bong counties, with more counties scheduled in the coming weeks. Liberia’s mining sector remains a mix of large licensed concessions and a vast informal sector.
Under the Environmental Protection and Management Law of 2003, any large-scale extractive activity requires an Environmental Permit issued after an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment. The law is designed to ensure that companies manage waste, protect water sources, and restore land after operations end.
Illegal and unregulated mining, particularly for gold and sand, has been a persistent challenge in Montserrado and other counties close to Monrovia. Communities often report water contamination, loss of farmland, and health risks linked to unregulated pits and chemical use.
The EPA has struggled with limited resources and staffing to monitor all sites, but officials say the 2026 exercise is using a risk-based approach to target the worst offenders.
Environmental lawyer Massaquoi Kollie, who has represented communities in Montserrado in past disputes, said the Green Forest case could set a precedent.
“The law is clear. You cannot mine without a permit and you cannot pollute and walk away,” Mr. Kollie said. “What matters now is enforcement and follow-through on the remediation order.”
The EPA’s enforcement division said it will prioritize sites where operations are active without permits and where pollution is affecting residential areas or water sources used for drinking and farming. EPA officials said monitoring teams will return to the Green Forest site to verify compliance with the shutdown and remediation order.
They will also review the remediation plan once submitted to ensure it meets technical standards for soil rehabilitation, water treatment, and ecosystem recovery.
“The message is simple,” Mr. Ngumbu said. “No company is above the law. If you want to operate in Liberia, you must follow the law, protect the environment, and respect the people living around your operations.”
The agency urged other operators to regularize their status with the EPA or face similar enforcement. It also called on local leaders and communities to report suspected illegal mining and environmental violations through the EPA’s hotline and district offices.
