Monrovia-March-1-TNR:Citizens of Grand Cape Mount County have blamed their newly elected lawmaker, Mohammed Dosi for giving his blessings to the vandalism presently ongoing at Bea Mountain Mining Company.
The lawmaker told residents of Golgoma, Grand Cape Mount County to protest on grounds that the company has been carrying out bad labor practices. Accurately, after their meeting, the protestors were secured to embark on their actions which has led to the vandalization of company’s properties
including the newly constructed vocational school building as well as some earth-moving equipment. During the protest, they also set ablaze the home of one Boakai Lansannah Tarafero. Tareolds contested against Representative Dosi in the just-ended 2023 presidential and legislative elections.
Boakai wrote on his Facebook page that he would hold Hon. Dosi responsible for the burning down of his home.
Prior to that, Representative Dosi with a large number of his followers, arrived at the site on Thursday after a meeting with citizens in Golgoma Camp, Matambo Corridor.
The chiefs and elders said they were protesting due to the presence of armed men as well as bad labor practice at the mines. Due to the severity of the protest, the police had to fire light bullets and tear gas to dispel protestors.
After the meeting, a group of protestors went amok in the town setting ablaze three excavators and other machines belonging to the company. Rep. Dosi told journalists on the scene that because the Turkish Company had armed men at the place, it was justifiable for the citizens to stage a protest.
On whether he was aware of the burning of equipment, he said, he only heard about it but said, “Because the armed people are here to make our people afraid. Why will you bring armed people to the community that you want to work in? That is a conflict,” Dosi told reporters.
Dosi admitted that he wrote his fellow lawmakers to call for the withdrawal of armed men at the mines. According to him, there is no need to hire armed men to be at the mines. But his statement was debunked by some citizens from Cape Mount who said that BMMC was right to hire armed men to protect its facilities.
According to Amara Folley, a resident of Kinjor, the presence of armed men was necessary due to past experience in which BMMC facilities were destroyed.
According to him, approaching the general elections last year, the National Security team assessed all potential Hotspots in the country and determined that the explosives magazines at Bea Mountain were a potential risk point.
It was realized that the presence of police was not strong enough to withstand any violent activities. So, the Ministry of Justice sought support from the AFL, and the troops were deployed not only at Bea Mountain but also at LEC facilities like Mount Coffee.
More importantly, according to Section 11.2 (a) of the MDA-Mineral Development Agreement signed between the Liberian Government and Bea Mountain, “The Company may, directly or by contract with a responsible provider of security services, establish, manage and maintain its own asset and employee security and protection service to protect assets in the Production Area and near other locations at which Company has or maintains property and assets through its own security force and to do so always in accordance with Law and rules and regulations promulgated by the Ministry of Justice relating to security forces. Such security force shall not bear arms and shall at all times operate subject to the authority of, and coordination with the Liberia National Police.”
Not only that, but also, In section b, “In the event the Company deems it absolutely necessary to have armed guards for the purpose of protecting assets in the Production Area and in the immediate vicinity of other locations at which Company has or maintains property and assets, the Company shall make a written request to the Government. The Government shall provide armed guards as needed, which expense shall be borne by the Company.”
