Liberia: Kromah Vows Drone and Satellite Raids On Illegal Mining Sites

What the report says

Liberia’s new Protect Our Resources Taskforce (PORT) has announced a nationwide crackdown on illegal mining, with drones, satellite reconnaissance and joint military-police operations planned to identify and shut down unauthorized sites. The comments were made in Monrovia by Col. Abraham S. Kromah, who chairs PORT, after President Joseph Nyuma Boakai issued Executive Order No. 167 establishing the unit.

According to the Liberian Investigator report published by AllAfrica, the task force says it will seize dredges, excavators, processing equipment and mineral stocks, and hand suspected operators over for prosecution. Kromah said the effort is meant to respond to large-scale losses from mineral smuggling and unlawful extraction, which he described as a threat to state revenue, the environment and community livelihoods. He also said PORT will work with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Liberia National Police, the Armed Forces of Liberia and immigration officials.

The report says PORT is operating without a dedicated budget line because it was created after the annual budget process. Kromah said an initial funding request was reduced and the unit is still seeking support, though the Ministry of Finance has provided some assistance. The article adds that officials from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Mines Ministry say illegal dredging and mining have damaged waterways, farmland and forests in counties including Lofa, Bong and Nimba.

More broadly, the plan reflects a shift toward treating illegal mining as a security and economic crime rather than only a regulatory issue. The task force says it will publish enforcement records and report regularly to the presidency, signaling a more coordinated national response if the new measures are fully implemented.