Liberia: This Is Unacceptable - Inside the Environmental Protection Authority Raid That Exposed an Illegal Chinese-Owned Gold Mine Using a Banned Chemical

Summary Liberia's Environmental Protection Agency says it uncovered an unlicensed gold mine allegedly using the toxic chemical cyanide without permits, leading to a shutdown and the arrest of 20 Chinese nationals. The mine, Green Forest Mining denies the allegations. The investigation began after a university student detected cyanide in a water sample, with inspectors tracing to a mine in Todee District, that the Agency had ordered to shut down a few months earlier. Agency chief Yarkpawolo has warned the case has shown the limits of his underfunded agency to curb the rapid expansion of illegal mining. When the Environmental Protection Agency Executive Director Emmanuel Urey Yarkpawolo stepped onto the sprawling mining site here in Todee District, he was stunned by what he saw. Before him l