MONROVIA: Several protesters on Thursday carried out a sustained protest against Bea Mountain Mining Company for what they termed as their failure to execute their 31-count.
Part of the counts called for the reservation of positions for Liberians by labor regulations. Even though there are several Liberians occupying top managerial positions, including the superintendent, Human Resources Manager, Supervisors, and plant manager among others, which they said was not sufficient.
They also called for the appointment of the former Community Relations Superintendent as Government Relations and the appointment of a General Manager from Grand Cape Mount County.
The Superintendent who worked for the company was fired for supporting protests against the company last year.
Following the petition, the company said they were holding consultations with relevant stakeholders in the county at which time they would address it.
However, the newly elected lawmaker of district number two, Grand Cape Mount County, Mohammed Dosi held a meeting with the citizens and said they were unhappy with the attitude of the company and needed changes.
The lawmaker told residents of Golgoma, Grand cape Mount County, that he supported the protest due to bad labor practices. Accordingly, the protestors decided to carry out the demonstration during which a number of properties were damaged including the newly constructed vocational school.
Not only that, the home of Boakai Lansannah Tarafero, who contested against Representative Dosi in the just-ended 2023 presidential and legislative elections was set ablaze by the protestors.
After a number of properties were damaged, Representative Dosi told reporters that he was not aware that any company’s equipment was damaged.
However, he blamed the presence of armed security, and added, it was “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 from the mines. According to him, there is no need to hire armed men to be at the mines.
His statement was however debunked by some citizens from Cape Mount who said that BMMC was right to hire armed men to protect its facilities.
According to one Amara Folley, a resident of Kinjor, the presence of armed men was necessary due to past experience in which BMMC facilities were destroyed.
Folley said approaching the general elections last year, the National Security team did an assessment of all potential Hotspots in the country and determined that the explosives magazines at Bea Mountain were a potential risk point.
It was realized at the time that the presence of police was not strong enough to withstand any violent activities, a reason for which 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 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 through its own security force, and is 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.”
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,” a Bea Mountain dispatch recounted.