By Emma Black

In what is being described as one of Sierra Leone’s most significant environmental enforcement actions in recent years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), working alongside the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) and the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), has destroyed 199 dredges used in illicit riverbed mining.

The coordinated raids, which took place across Tonkolili, Bombali, Kenema, Kailahun, Kono, and Bo districts, were part of an intensified national effort to protect the country’s rivers and ecosystems from widespread degradation. A newly released video from the operation offers a rare glimpse into the scale of the environmental crisis confronting Sierra Leone’s waterways.

EPA Executive Chairman Dr. Abu-Bakar S. Massaquoi said the crackdown revealed three urgent concerns. First, local complicity in illegal mining is more prevalent than initially believed, with some community members not only aware of the activity but, in certain cases, actively supporting it.

Second, investigations uncovered links between the illicit dredging operations and organised cross-border networks. According to Dr. Massaquoi, the scale and financing of these activities far exceed the resources of most local residents, with many of the operators identified as non-nationals including Chinese, Indian, Liberian, and Ghanaian nationals.

Third, the EPA chief emphasised that enforcement alone will not solve the problem. He called for sustainable livelihood alternatives for affected communities, increased public awareness on the environmental and economic damage caused by riverbed mining, and a rethink of communication strategies to better engage local populations in shared environmental stewardship.

As a non-subvented agency, our capacity to sustain these costly operations depends heavily on resource availability, Dr. Massaquoi noted, this includes funding for whistleblower incentives, the effectiveness of Community Environmental Enforcement Committees (CEECOMs), and the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs’ willingness to hold local leaders accountable.”

The EPA urged citizens to play their part by reporting illegal mining activities through its Orange toll-free hotline, 1999, stressing that protecting Sierra Leone’s rivers is a shared national responsibility.

Illicit riverbed mining has been linked to severe environmental damage in Sierra Leone, including the destruction of aquatic habitats, contamination of water sources, and the destabilisation of riverbanks impacts that threaten biodiversity, public health, and the livelihoods of downstream communities.

Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Friday,15th August 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)