Liberian security forces have begun a large-scale eviction exercise in Sapo National Park, removing more than 2,000 illegal occupants from the country’s largest protected rainforest.
The operation, code-named “Operation Restore Hope IV,” is being led by the Ministry of National Defense in collaboration with the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) and other security agencies. It targets unlawful mining, poaching, and human settlements that have threatened the park for decades.
According to an internal report obtained by The DayLight, security personnel have taken full control of “Camp America,” one of 13 illegal communities inside the 697-square-mile park. Soldiers have also established operational bases in Sinoe, Grand Gedeh, and River Gee counties.
The report notes that evictions were carried out in stages, with women and children escorted out first, followed by men. Officers separated groups of men during the process to avoid overwhelming the escort teams. Some residents reportedly fled the area before the operation reached their camps.
Security officials stressed that the gradual approach was necessary, given that many settlers had lived in the park for more than ten years. All entry routes to Camp America have now been sealed, with only exits allowed for people leaving.
Over 200 officers reportedly trekked nine hours to reach the settlement. Once there, they dismantled huts and illegal mining operations, seized contraband, including drugs, a bottle of mercury, and a firearm, and then oversaw the departure of the remaining occupants. Photos included in the report show soldiers standing before crowds of residents and makeshift shelters covered with tarpaulins.
Authorities also observed unusual financial practices inside the settlement, where only L$500 and L$1,000 banknotes were in circulation. Investigators have recommended an anti-money laundering probe into the matter. The report further documented prostitution, human trafficking, and other abuses described as “far removed from human civilization.”
Sapo National Park, established in 1983, is a critical biodiversity hotspot in the Mano River region, harboring endangered species such as African forest elephants, pygmy hippopotamuses, and western chimpanzees. Despite its ecological importance, the park has long been under pressure from human encroachment and illicit activities.
This latest eviction marks the most significant security intervention since United Nations peacekeepers removed around 5,000 squatters during Liberia’s post-war years. Authorities say the current operation forms part of broader efforts to curb cross-border crime, illicit financial flows, and migration-related challenges in southeastern Liberia.
Immigration records show over 54,000 Burkinabés have entered the region in recent years, a situation European Union representatives have linked to the wider Sahel migrant crisis.
In total, security forces expect to remove as many as 15,000 illegal occupants from the park. The next phase of operations will target the remaining 12 settlements, including the notorious “Camps Afghanistan and Iraq.”
Source: The Day Light
