By Joseph Momoh, Reporter D.S.
Members of land-owning families in the Magbafth Section of Yoni Mabanta Chiefdom, Tonkolili District, Northern Sierra Leone, have voiced strong objections to the OSARA Mining Company’s plans to conduct bauxite mining on their lands without their consent. The families claim that local authorities are proceeding with an agreement that disregards their rights.
The proposed mining project covers ten villages in the Magbafth Section. Landowners learned of the initiative during a meeting held on November 30, 2024, which was attended solely by village headmen invited by the Chiefdom Council. They expressed concerns that the Chiefdom Council, led by the Paramount Chief, had excluded the actual landowners from these crucial discussions.
Landowners allege that during the meeting, Chiefdom Speaker Daniel Turay and Alhassan Fullah, the Paramount Chief’s younger brother, issued threats against anyone opposing the mining operations. “Fullah insisted that the consent of landowners is not necessary,” one landowner reported.
Residents fear that the mining project threatens their livelihoods and the ecological balance of their region, which has been preserved for generations. “This action undermines the livelihoods of rural citizens, particularly women, and could destroy ecologically sensitive areas,” said a community member living in Freetown.
The affected families are calling on the government, civil rights organizations, and media to intervene and scrutinize the proposed operations, which they consider a “mining coup” that jeopardizes their well-being.
Attempts to reach Fullah for comment were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls or messages. Community members are urging relevant government institutions, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Mineral Agency, to deny licenses for OSARA Mining Company Ltd., citing violations of the Mines and Minerals Development Act, the Customary Land Rights Act, and the National Land Commission Act.
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