As EPA Suspends AMR Gold… Mines Ministry Exposed
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
says the AMR Gold Mining Company, which operates in Sella Limba Chiefdom in the
Bombali District, Northern Province, is in violation of sections 23 (1) and 53
(1) of the Environmental Protection Agency Act of 2008 and its amendment in
2010 by operating without a valid environmental impact assessment license consequently
posing serious threat to the environment.
The release further revealed instances where
workers of AMR Gold have been obstructing EPA’s enforcement officers, as they
attempt to monitor or halt the operations of the company, intimidating and even
threatening to physically assault them, and in some cases pelted stones at the
agency’s vehicles and staff.
Allegations are that the SMALL SCALE mining
license issued Wilkinson Hills/AMR Mining Company was done singularly by the
decision of the Minister of Mines, Minkailu Mansaray, which to the EPA poses
credibility question to the very existence of EPA as an agency and which
workplace is under the office of the President.
In the recent past, there have been oppositions
by Sella Limba Chiefdom landowners as they call on government to
unconditionally remove the AMR from their Chiefdom, accusing the company to have
done no good to them, rather has had moments exploiting their God given wealth,
while also using the police to abuse them.
It is reported that some Sella Limba
landowners are in court with the AMR on account of allegations of trespass to a
five acres land found located at the Kamasontha Hills which the landowners say
has been illegally occupied by the company.
Their claims (the landowners) are that AMR
Gold’s concession areas in the Sella Limba is a square kilometer, located hundreds
of miles off and far away the Kamasontha land they have been trespassing a year
and months now doing mining there.
Findings are that the landowners have as well
complained some NMA officials to the ACC following allegations that a sum
totaling fifty two million leones was received from them by said NMA officials as
fee for five SMALL SCALE licenses for the now disputed Kamasontha land, but
turned round allocating same to AMR Company.
Findings are that the landowners in 2014/15 established
a mining supportive/cooperative organization under the name MIACCO (SL) Ltd,
later secured artisanal mining licenses and requested the National Minerals
Agency (NMA) through its regional office in Makeni demarcate 14 plots of land
offered them for mining purposes.
One Mohamed Janneh, a mines warden working at
the Makeni Mines Ministry regional office but on official posting at Sella
Limba, did demarcate the 14 plots of land in Kamasontha village shortly after
the supportive company (MIACCO) had paid Le 52, 000,000 on behalf of the
landowners to the NMA head office in Freetown.
However, it is still not clear whether the
ACC intends institute investigation on the questioned SMALL SCALE license
issued the AMR by the current Minister of Mines, which apparently has seen both
the NMA and EPA (two synergizing government institutions) engaging in actions
negating reasons for their formation.
But AMR’s communication director, Elkas
Sannoh, in an interview with Democracy Radio Thursday 23rd, denies
any wrongdoing on the part of his company, referred to the EPA’s put out suspension
notice as “bogus” while also confirming that license issued them (AMR) is legal
and that nothing will bar them continue mining activities in Sella Limba.
Sannoh further established that the AMR is to
receive an environmental impact assessment (EIA) license from the EPA, so far blamed
the agency for not doing so.
Public’s opinions are that it is time for the
ACC to take a closer look at the relationships of AMR Gold, the National
Minerals Agency (NMA) and the Ministry of Mines, also doably investigate
reasons for the observed fallout between the named companies and EPA.
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