In the village of Jikandor, in the forested interior of northern Liberia, the river that has sustained fishing communities for generations has changed colour. Where the water once ran clear, it now carries a visible sheen of sediment and a chemical smell that locals say arrived with the gold miners.
The fish are dying, says a local fisherman who asked not to be identified. Our children swim in this water. Our women wash clothes in this water. Now we don’t know what is in it.
Jikandor is one of several communities in Grand Cape Mount County raising alarms about environmental damage linked to gold mining operations run by the Bea Mountain Mining Corporation, a subsidiary of the Dubai-based AMD Mining Group. The company holds a mineral exploration licence covering more than 4,000 square kilometres of Liberia’s northwest.
A Pattern of Alleged Violations
The concerns in Jikandor have intensified in recent months as community members say undisclosed spills and the routine use of mercury in gold extraction have contaminated waterways that feed into the Lake Piso marine protected area — one of Liberia’s most ecologically significant coastal ecosystems.
Mercury is used in gold mining worldwide to bind fine gold particles. It is highly toxic to humans and ecosystems alike. When mercury enters water systems, it accumulates in fish and shellfish, entering the food chain and eventually reaching human consumers. Pregnant women and young children are particularly vulnerable to mercury’s neurological effects.
Community members say the Bea Mountain Mining Corporation has never publicly disclosed any accidental releases of process chemicals. They say they have filed formal complaints with county authorities and the Liberia Environmental Protection Agency, but no independent investigation has taken place.
We have asked for the water to be tested, says a community leader who asked to remain anonymous. We have asked to see their environmental impact assessment. They show us nothing.
Mining and Environmental Justice in Liberia
Liberia’s mining sector has long been a source of tension between economic development and environmental protection. The country, which experienced two devastating civil wars between 1989 and 2003, has struggled to build a regulatory framework capable of holding large extractive companies accountable.
Environmental advocates say the case of Jikandor illustrates a broader pattern across West Africa, where the pressure to attract foreign mining investment has outpaced the development of robust environmental monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
The Human Cost
For the families of Jikandor, the debate about regulatory frameworks is secondary to a more immediate question: how do they survive?
The river that once provided fish and irrigation water is now something they fear to touch. Children who swam in it as recently as two years ago now develop skin rashes they cannot explain.
Our water is dying, says one elderly woman in the village, using a phrase that has become a local slogan. The river gave us life. Now we don’t know what it is giving us.
Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency has said it plans to conduct a review of mining operations in Grand Cape Mount County. Until then, the people of Jikandor wait, watching a river that once gave life slowly change colour.