GANTA, Nimba County, Sept. 24 -- In Ganta, a land dispute has moved well beyond a single property line. Its reach now covers the country's top judicial officer, a former city mayor, a former county superintendent and hundreds of neighbors who say they will not stand aside.

By Franklin Doloquee

It is a story about who is believed to own the ground under a person's feet, and what happens when that question is answered in an hour.

Residents describe last Wednesday as a day that arrived without warning. Authorities carried out an eviction ordered by the Gompa Magisterial Court, and more than 15 families were left without shelter.

Those who watched say the time allowed was far too short. One community member, who asked not to be named, put...