By Lewis S. Teh
The Head of Secretariat and Program Coordinator for the National Union of Community Forestry Development Committees (NUCFDC), Andrew Y.Y. Zelemen, has been alarmed by alleged harassment and intimidation from anti-deforestation campaigners in Grand Gedeh County.
Mr. Zelemen told journalists here in a news conference held in Paynesville outside Monrovia that a member of their group has been harassed and intimidated by a group of anti-deforestation campaigners allegedly headed by Grand Gedeh Superintendent Alex Grant.
“We, as National Union of Community Forestry Development Committee, are in support of sustainable forestry, but the issue of foreign nationals destroying the forest, especially in the foreign management contract area, and the other community forest areas, particularly in Grand Gedeh, has been our concern, even the FDA”, he said.
According to him, one of their members, who is a chief officer, is being threatened for opposing the destruction of the forest by the county authority, which he said is of concern.
“So this press conference is for us to raise this concern that one of us have been threatened for doing his work in the forest sector, which is in the best interest of the nation; so we are calling on the authority to protect him, and all of us to protect him, because what he’s doing, [is] in the best interest of the country.”
Zelemen believes that Mr. Samson Zamie shouldn’t be threatened when he’s doing his work. “So the message we are passing on is that Samson Zammie has done nothing wrong; he’s doing his work as a chief officer, and taking people from the forest should be everyone’s business, because the forest is being destroyed.
Asked whether an arrest warrant had been issued by the county superintendent, Mr. Zammie said there was never an arrest warrant, but the county superintendent allegedly did it in a way to silence him.
“He sent those police that I am invited, and I said, for what? He said, the police said, if you go to the station, they will tell you. It is about those Buchanan bees that he arrested, and I told them that the case is in court”, he explained.
Sampson Zammie is the chief officer of the Bloquah Authorized Community Forest in Gbazon, Grand Gedeh County.
According to Zelemen, Mr. Zammie has been a vital source of information regarding the increasing presence of foreign nationals in the forests, particularly in Grand Gedeh County, not only in the CFMA areas but also in the FMC K Grand Gedeh area that falls directly under the CFDC, which the NUCFDCs represent at the national level.
Zelemen furthered that Mr. Zammie has bravely led his community in efforts to deter intruders and protect the country’s natural resources. “However, we were afflicted to read a recent news article in which Mr. Zammie expressed fears of intimidation from certain members of the Grand Gedeh County authorities.” He added.
The NUCFDC head of secretariat stated that the media, civil society, local communities, and even the Forestry Development Authority have been instrumental in highlighting this issue, reminding the public of its profound implications for sustainable forest management and the rights of local communities.
He said that as forest communities, they have actively engaged with field coordinators and representatives to advocate against reckless destruction of Liberia’s forests by foreign nationals.
According to Zelemen, though they cannot independently verify claims made by the superintendent, they listened to the Superintendent of Grand Gedeh during a recent appearance on LFMW’s Forest Hour show on OK FM in Monrovia when he allegedly stated that Sampson Zammie is a fugitive and that he would be arrested wherever he is found.
“This alarming statement raises serious concerns about the threats against a man who is a crucial partner in our fight against deforestation; we take these allegations of intimidation very seriously and demand an immediate and thorough investigation into this matter.”
He said they are entrusting the safety of Mr. Zammie to the officials of Grand Gedeh County, while calling for an immediate cessation of alleged threats.
“The fight against deforestation is a collective responsibility that benefits us all. Let us be very clear here: we are closely monitoring the situation involving Sampson Zammie and will do everything within our power to defend his rights as a citizen”.
He, disclosed that in these critical times, when the country’s natural resources are under siege by foreign interests, every citizen must join the fight to protect Liberia’s environment. Editing by Jonathan Browne
