LIBERIA: COUNTRY DEVILS SEIZE SOLWAY’S MINING SITE THAT WAS SECRETLY GIVEN TO AML

The affected population of the mining site of SOLWAY that was given to Arcelor Mittal through a secret deal orchestrated by a local official of the company in collaboration with officials of the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy, seem to be very unhappy with said deal.

On Saturday 28, October 2023, several country devils entered the site, chased all workers away and took control of the area as an expression of the disenchantment of the local population who are still in sympathy with Solway.

“We cannot seat here and see such act of criminality go on unpunished. Hundreds of our children were working for Solway. The company built schools, gave help to our hospitals, took care of pregnant women who were coming from inaccessible places to be in Zorgowee until they deliver, we owe Solway a lot because they did all these while they had not yet got their MDA. How come Alford Boimah MORGAN who was receiving salary from the same company will go convince the President that the company belongs to him? The President did not do due diligence to the investors, and that is caring for any other investors.” An elderly man told this paper.

In September, Alford Boimah MORGAN who has been a local partner of Solway, and said to be a personal friend of the Liberian President, crafted a deal with the help of authorities of the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy to give the company to Arcelor MITTAL and have a reward in return, without the consent of the owners of the company.

About 30 million United States dollars are said to have been given by AML and said amount was dished out. Alford Morgan who has so far received 200,000.00 usd to sign an MOU with the affected community and make them to embrace AML.

“We don’t understand what this scamming officials are doing. The Legislature heavily rejected Mittal’s MDA last year sending a 10 page long report highlighting all breaches and defaults by the steel giant”. A local authority told this paper.

Another local authority who is heavily bitter on the way the Government treated these investors, expressed his feelings.

“Swiss company Solway came to Liberia and invested significant amount of capital in our ground as well as within our community.” The former official in Nimba said.