A lingering family-clan feud that has existed in lower Bong County’s Bonkumu and Lorla clans over who should control the township’s ferryboat business and proceeds came to a head in September, resulting in the temporary halt of the ferry’s operation, desperately needed by citizens of the area.
Amid the conflict, the boat capsized one night, leaving a middle-aged man who lived on the banks of the St. Paul River dead. The victim is said to be the elder son of one elderly man in the area accused of single-handedly running the boat and allegedly pocketing the proceeds. The “death” occurred under mysterious circumstances, villagers told this writer.
The boat had capsized at, or near the David & Gunta main crossing point, west of Kelebei, Sanoyea District, Bong County. It’s located along the laterite road that leads to the gold-diamond belt of Gbarpolu County and the once infamous-forested Liberian maximum prison town of Belle Yellah.
The body of the ferry victim remains at large as of the time of this writing and it was still not clear whether the boat had additional passengers, or heavy loads onboard, although its operation rules, accordingly, forbids it from operating at nighttime apparently due to safety reasons.
The incident is reported to have further escalated the feud to an extent that it left people divided along family-clan lines, regrettably in absolute contrast to the expectation or purposes for which the then Vice President, Joseph Boakai donated this ferry in 2017, to residents of the region.
The decision to halt operation there was reached by the executive director for JNB Foundation, the donor, in collaboration with local citizens’ groups in the area following the September mishap.
The boat had been given out by the charity to benefit citizens, and bring development to the area.
Now, the abrupt halt to the ferry’s operation west of Kelebei, the major town in the area, appears to have grave consequences on citizens as well as traders who travel this route daily and conduct business such as gold and diamond, besides trading in agricultural goods or products.
Lately, the residents said, at least two women died of childbirth due to lack of a boat to cross the St. Paul River in the region in seeking timely medical emergency help. St. Paul is a tributary of the Atlantic Ocean. They said, the ferry’s absence has also affected school children who have to commute back and forth the St. Paul River daily to attend school.
In a statement presented Wednesday, February 19, 2025 to the Executive Director at JNB Foundation, Jackson George, residents spoke of how they’ve also experienced significant losses of business incomes lately, due to ferry’s absence since the September accident.
They therefore pleaded with George to resume the ferry operation soon in order to alleviate the suffering of the people.
The township of Kelebei (otherwise spelled as “Kelebi”), has an estimated population of some 3000 inhabitants, and the ferry business there has boomed, making up to US $1.6 million (far higher than the rest of five ferries the foundation deployed across Liberia) since deployment in 2017, according to George.
The JNB Foundation altogether has six active ferries it donated to local citizens and are deployed across Liberia at the time Boakai served as Vice President, or after.
Bong and Nimba Counties have two each, while Grand Bassa and Rivercess got one each.
George and party were welcomed in Liberian-Kpelle Traditional style and presented with white rice and multiple kola nuts; the white rice symbolizes purity.
The bowl containing these elements was passed from one hand to the other, with each man or lady, breaking and eating a piece of the kola before it finally reached George.
