Citizens of Behquelleh Clan in Jorquelleh District #3 have erected roadblocks demanding that the Gold Mining Company operating in the area sign an MoU with them.
By: Edwin N. Khakie
Bong County, March 18, 2025: Residents of Behquelleh Clan in Jorquelleh District #3 have launched a peaceful protest against Da Tang Gold Mining Company in Zota District, erecting roadblocks and demanding that the company sign an MoU with their clan.
The citizens' move followed an allegation that the company had neglected their Clan despite using their road for seven years without providing any benefits.
According to the aggrieved citizens, since the company began operations in Zota in 2018, it has continuously excluded them from the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for affected communities despite using a major route in their clan for transportation.
As part of the protest, residents have set up a roadblock in Kpayah Town, preventing all company vehicles from using the Kpayah-Jenepleta road until an MoU is signed between them and the mining company.
One of their major concerns is the rehabilitation of their road.
They criticized the company for merely using a front-end loader to fill potholes instead of properly reconstructing the road.
During a town hall discussion in Kpayah Town, to which the company's authorities were invited but failed to attend, the citizens demanded that the company engage with them to sign an MoU that would serve as a working document for all parties involved.
Rep. Robert Flomo Womba, Representative of District Four, where the company operates, urged the citizens to remain peaceful.
He explained that the company's Chinese operators were reluctant to meet with the people due to security concerns.
He informed the citizens that he had planned to work with Hon. Josiah Marvin Cole to organize a meeting with the company's representatives in Gbarnga, but Hon. Cole insisted that the Chinese operators come to meet directly with the affected people for discussions.
After hours of discussion, the meeting was adjourned for a 30-minute break. However, during the break, Hon. Womba left for Gbarnga.
Upon the citizens' return to the town hall, Hon. Cole presented $1,000 USD, stating that Rep. Womba, on behalf of the company, made it available as an incentive for the residents to end their protest, remove the roadblock, and meet on Saturday for further discussions.
After consulting with each other, the elders of the Behquelleh Clan returned the money to Rep. Cole, stating that they were not protesting for financial compensation but for the long-term development of their community.
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Hon. Cole then decided that the money would be distributed among the attending towns for transportation, but the citizens remained firm in their decision not to remove the roadblock for the company's vehicles, despite Rep. Womba's plea.
Speaking to this station after the mass meeting with citizens, Bong County District Three Representative Josiah Marvin Cole expressed his support for the protesters.
He revealed that he had invited the company's operators to dialogue with the affected citizens on three different occasions, but they repeatedly refused to attend for reasons best known to them.
Hon. Cole stated that since the citizens had resolved to block the company's vehicles from using their road, he fully supported their action.
Da Tang Gold Mining Company is a licensed Class B gold mining company that began operations in Gbakonah, Zota District, in 2018.
The meeting was held on Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Kpayah, one of the affected communities in the Behquelleh Clan. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.
