Africa-Press – Liberia. The Acting Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Emmanuel Urey Yarkpawolo, and the Bong County Superintendent, Hawa Norris, have urged residents of Kpatawee Clan to reconsider their demands for the closure of the Kpatawee Waterfalls in Suakoko District#5, Bong County.
The call comes after a protest by residents led to the closure of the waterfalls due to alleged violations by the management of Jalk Enterprise.
The Commander of the Bong County Detachment of the Liberia National Police, Fasu Sheriff, Saturday ordered the Kpatawee Waterfalls closed after angry residents staged a protest against the management of Jalk Enterprise for reportedly violating the terms and conditions enshrined in the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the leadership of the County in December 2019.
Residents demanded Josephine Richardson, Manager of the Kpatawee Waterfalls and Kuku Danies to leave the area over allegations of encroaching on their farmland—an alleged move that contravenes the MOU.
During their protest, the Kpatawee Clan residents blocked the road, stopping vehicles and bikes from accessing the waterfall resort. Some angry youths in the area were threatening to burn down the facilities if the Management left the area.
However, during the Tuesday dialogue, Dr. Yarkpawolo and the Superintendent advised the citizens to allow the management of the waterfalls to continue operations, highlighting the site’s significance as an international tourist attraction. They assured the residents that their concerns would be addressed within one month, particularly regarding the conflicting Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) that were signed.
The leaders acknowledged discrepancies between the MOUs signed by the community, the past government, and Jalk Enterprise, which have contributed to the current dispute.
The negotiators revealed that during their fact-finding dialogue between the Kpatawee citizens and the Management of Jalk Enterprise; they got to know that two separate MOUs were signed between the citizens and Jalk Enterprise.
“The Community members are disappointed because they signed two separate MOUs with Jalk Enterprise and the EPA and both of these documents are not only conflicting, but one party is reportedly not living up to the agreements,” the negotiators said. “This is one of the major factors that is causing the misunderstanding between the citizens and the entity regarding the implementation of the MOU.”
They told the citizens that tourism is part of the “Rescue Mission” agenda and Kpatawee is very important to the government of Liberia and the citizens as well to development, they should disengage their protest.
The Kpatawee Clan Chief, Menpakeh Darwokalar, expressed gratitude for the intervention and pledged to abandon the protest temporarily, pending the resolution of their grievances.
He assured Clan Chief Darwokalar assured Dr. Yarkpawolo and Madam Norris that the residents would abandon their protest and look up to them within the one-month duration. “But if our problem is not handled within one month, we are going to come back here [protest],” he said.
Jalk Enterprise Manager Josephine Richardson issued an apology to the citizens and called for unity toward further development in the region.
The former Bong County Superintendent and the Liberia National Police commander advised against further protests, emphasizing the need for a thorough investigation into the matter.
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