By Bill W. Cooper
Three cocoa farmers identified as Burkinabe were discovered dead in the forest of Duogee Town, B’hai Administrative District, Grand Gedeh County, with one survivor following a tragic incident.
The victims were identified as Sawadog Mohammed Desire, 34; Yameogo Oliver, 25 and Tiono Ouibila, 25 while the lone survivor is Antoine Tapsoba, 34 thereby leaving residents of the town in total panic and disbelief.
According to information gathered, the incident was triggered as a result of the fall of a huge dead tree on a hut where the victims, all cocoa farmers from Burkina Faso, were residing.
Information said the Burkinabe nationals were in Liberia specifically to plant cocoa when the incident, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday, August 24, 2024, also left several residents injured.
Investigations further revealed that the farmers had cleared parts of the forest but did not fully cut down the trees and as such, they severed the roots and burned the bark, leaving the trees as a death trap and prone to collapse without warning.
As a result, a 15-member coroner jury was convened to thoroughly examine the bodies and concluded that the deaths were directly caused by the falling tree and there was no foul play.
Meanwhile, the Liberia National Police administrative officer, Madison Neewray, along with the Liberia National Police (LNP), has released the bodies to the families for proper burial.
The police has at the same time invited the owner of the farmland, Othello Bah, where the incident occurred, for questioning at the Toe Town Police Detachment in Grand Gedeh County.
As the tragic incident serves as a sobering reminder of the danger posed by unsafe agricultural practices, some local authorities are urging farmers to adopt safer methods when clearing land to prevent such incidents in the future.
The issues of the influx of Burkinabe in Liberia has been an aged-old problem, thus calling for several intervention from the Liberian government through various lines Ministries and Agencies.
The latest was when the House of Representatives, recently mandated its joint committee on National Security, Internal Affairs, and Judiciary to investigate the significant influx of Burkinabe into the country’s forests in counties bordering Ivory Coast.
The decision followed a complaint from Maryland County District 2 Representative, Anthony F. Williams, highlighting the potential threats to national security and social stability of the influx of Burkinebees in Nimba, Grand Gedeh, River Gee and Maryland.
Rep. Williams disclosed that during a tour of the southeastern region of Liberia, he received numerous complaints from citizens about the increased presence of illegal Burkinabe immigrants.
According to him, these immigrants have reportedly been engaging in various activities, such as farming, mining, hunting, and pit sawing without proper documentation, raising alarms about potential security and social issues.
He also emphasized that considering the historical context of the involvement of Burkinabe nationals in past Liberian civil unrest adds to the gravity of the situation and must be a critical concern of the relevant government institutions.
The Maryland County Lawmaker noted that the situation borders on security, adding that the unchecked movement of individuals across borders poses significant challenges to national security.
He added that the lack of proper documentation and border control could facilitate smuggling of contraband, including drugs and weapons, and human trafficking, asserting, “This can result in xenophobia and discrimination, undermining social stability.”
