Liberia, May 19 -- GBARPOLU COUNTY, May 18, 2026 - In a bold first-day push of the Nationwide Environmental Compliance Monitoring Exercise, the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia's Zone A Team has struck hard against illegal and non-compliant mining operations across Gbarpolu County.

By Henry B. Gboluma, Jr.

The team's first action was at the Stephen Clan Mining Site in Zelekai Mining District, where inspectors caught a Class C license holder illegally using an excavator. The EPA immediately shut down the site and confiscated the excavator's battery and key starter to halt operations.

In Soe Town, the team exposed a major violation by Rhode Mining, which was using two excavators to build a 28-kilometer road from Gbarnga-Gbarkoi...