Liberia: Landowners Cry Foul as Mining Expands: “Our Land Is Under Siege” In Marshall Dispute - FrontPageAfrica

MONROVIA – In Kporkpahkon Community, Marshall, Margibi County, what began as a simple complaint has now turned into a deepening crisis involving land rights, environmental concerns and growing questions about accountability.

By Edwin G. Genoway, Jr

The dispute centers on sand mining activities along the Kpor River Bank by the company ZHOU QI TAO, operating under its parent brand AfriRock Investment Inc., and how institutions like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ministry of Mines and Energy have responded.

The problem started when landowners including Patricia Marsh, Archie Wilson, Aloysius Soete, Bradley Browne, Brenda Tamba, Faustenal Dahn, Georgetta Williams, and Viviann Marsh reported that foreign nationals believed to be linked to the company entered their property without permission.

According to them, the individuals began clearing the land and preparing it for mining activities.

“They came onto our land without our consent and started destroying it,” Archie Wilson said. “We asked the government to step in immediately.”

Miss Marsh explained that the first formal engagement took place earlier on December 9, 2025, when sheriffs carrying writs were taken to the site.

She noted that the property had been acquired with the intention of developing an ecolodge to benefit the community, with a strong focus on preserving environmental integrity—an issue she described as central to the ongoing dispute.

At the time, there was no clear proof that the company had legal approval to operate on the private land. On January 14, 2026, the EPA visited the site and confirmed that mining was already underway. The agency issued a stop order, instructing the company to halt its operations. However, according to the landowners, the work continued.

“Even after the stop order, nothing changed,” Wilson explained. “They kept working like no law existed.”

Providing further details, Marsh said that following a scheduled conference with the EPA on January 19, which she attended along with their lawyer, the company failed to show up.

She added that a second conference was later organized ahead of an April 1 meeting with the company, but the landowners did not receive a formal invitation.

According to her, although their legal representative—who attended the first meeting—was contacted by an EPA representative around the same time, it was for separate discussions unrelated to the formal conference.

Around that same period, the Ministry of Mines and Energy reportedly granted the company a six-month exploratory permit.

“That permit only allows work in the river channel—it does not give them the right to operate on private land,” Patricia said.

As weeks passed, the situation became more confusing.

Despite the EPA’s stop order, mining activities reportedly continued and enforcement actions were not taken. On March 17, a letter surfaced claiming that the community supported AfriRock’s operations and that no other group had the authority to challenge the project.

But the landowners strongly rejected this claim. “This so-called support is misleading,” Patricia Marsh said. “It does not represent the real landowners.”

She pointed out that the letter lacked proof of ownership and contradicted ongoing legal disputes. Some of the individuals who signed the document were also said to be linked to earlier land transactions that are now under question.

On April 1, 2026, Patricia Marsh and her husband, Bradley Browne met with an EPA official and submitted documents to prove ownership of the disputed land.

They were told a joint meeting would be arranged. “We were ready to sit down and resolve this fairly,” Bradley Browne said. But according to them, that meeting never took place.

Instead, the EPA later held another meeting without inviting the landowners. Shortly after, between April 9 and 10, permits were reportedly issued to AfriRock, allowing the company to expand its operations.

“We were completely left out, yet decisions were made about our land,” Browne added. On April 13, the couple formally protested what they described as the illegal use of about 1.2 acres of their property and warned of serious environmental damage.

“Our land is being destroyed, and no one is listening,” their complaint stated.

Further concerns grew on April 15, when officials from the Ministry of Mines and Energy visited the site and reportedly observed that mining was ongoing, including on private property and beyond the permitted scope. Reports indicated visible environmental damage, raising fears about flooding and water contamination.

The following day, April 16, the landowners filed another complaint and attempted to meet with senior EPA officials, but said their efforts were unsuccessful.

“We keep calling, but there is no response,” Patricia disclosed. By mid-April 2026, the situation had reached a critical point. Mining activities were intensifying, environmental risks were increasing, and the response from authorities remained uncertain.

“This is not just about land anymore,” Bradley Browne told FrontPage Africa. “It’s about fairness and the rule of law.”

Meanwhile, the company has offered limited public response. Speaking to FrontPage Africa, AfriRock’s local representative, Stanley Gaye, initially confirmed that the land in question is indeed under dispute and acknowledged several of the concerns raised by the landowners, though he described some of the allegations as inaccurate.

In a follow-up interaction, Gaye told reporters he needed time to consult with his superiors before providing a detailed response. However, when contacted again a day later, he stated that his bosses had instructed him not to speak further on the matter and abruptly ended the call.

The landowners—including Aloysius Soete, Archie Wilson, Bradley Browne, Brenda Tamba, Faustenal Dahn, Georgetta Williams, Patricia Marsh, and Viviann Marsh—say they remain determined to defend their property.