A Liberian NGO Coalition seeks government’s intervention into illegal entry here.
By Emmanuel Wise Jipoh
Monrovia, Liberia, April 3, 2025 – Growing influx of Burkinabe and Ivorian nationals to Liberia raises concerns among Liberians, as the situation is characterized by land conflicts, forest destruction and deaths, across bordering counties, including Grand Gedeh, Rivergee, Maryland and Nimba.
The illegal migrants are involved in illegal mining and cocoa farming.
Addressing a news conference on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Duazon, Margibi County, NGO Coalition of Liberia called for urgent action from government to curtail the inflow of alians that lack proper docuementation.
Mitchell Brown, National Facilitator of the Coalition, says the influx of Burkinabees is hampering the counties.
He warns that failure to act swiftly could lead to widespread instability, environmental degradation, and loss of lives amid reports of illegal activities and sometimes violent clashes, mainly in Grand Gedeh and River Gee counties.
Mr. Brown discloses that primary forests are being cleared at an alarming rate to make way for cocoa farms and mining, severely impacting biodiversity and livelihoods of local populations.
He details that the situation is particularly dire in the Grebo-Krahn National Park, where conflicts between traditional leaders, forest rangers, and foreign settlers have escalated, putting both protected lands and human lives at risk.
The Coalition, in a press statement, raises critical concerns about what steps government is taking to control the influx of foreign nationals engaged in illegal land use, adding, the unregulated arrival of Burkinabe and Ivorian settlers is fueling tensions over land ownership and increasing risk of violent disputes.
It wants government to take decisive action to regulate immigration and protect communities from displacement.
“Without immediate intervention, Liberia risks losing vast stretch of its natural resources to illegal agricultural expansion and destructive mining activities, as crucial forest carbon sinks and biodiversity hotspots are rapidly disappearing, with no clear enforcement of environmental laws”, notes Jonathan Yiah, of the Coalition.
Flanked by members of the management team, the National Facilitator, Mitchell Brown calls on the government to state measures that have been taken to prevent further land conflicts and loss of life.
