By Eric Opa Doue, chief county correspondent with New Narratives Summary: BOLA, Bomi County– Kumba Thomas returns home from a long day at her farm. Around her, life in the community continues at its ordinary pace, but ghosts follow Thomas, weighing down every step of her day. Thomas says she was a new mother when fighting reached…
Eric Opa Doue
Stalled Bridge Leaves River Cess Residents Risking Their Lives on Makeshift Log — One of Dozens of Abandoned Projects Nationwide
Residents of River Cess are forced to cross the Jo River on a slippery log after a US$90,000 government-funded bridge project was abandoned. The contractor dismantled the old community bridge, took more than half the project funds, and never began construction, leaving families divided, children unable to reach school, and farmers struggling to get their…
Stalled Bridge Leaves River Cess Residents Risking Their Lives on Makeshift Log — One of Dozens of Abandoned Projects Nationwide
By Eric Opa Doue with New Narratives Summary: BODOWHEA, River Cess County — Every time Cecelia Garseedah thinks about visiting her parents, she must first decide whether the journey is worth risking her life. Her parents live on the opposite side of the Jo River. She must cross a dangerous bridge of two log to…
After Mob Attack, Red Cross Begins Rebuilding Destroyed Rivercess Village — But Fear, Hunger and Insecurity Persist
The Red Cross has started rebuilding homes in Bethel Town, River Cess County after the mob attack that destroyed much of the community, but residents continue to struggle with hunger, lack of clean water, and insecurity. While the new houses bring hope, families say their most urgent needs remain unmet, leaving recovery fragile and incomplete….
After Mob Attack, Red Cross Begins Rebuilding Destroyed Rivercess Village — But Fear, Hunger and Insecurity Persist
In River Cess County, residents of Bethel Town are beginning to rebuild after a vigilante mob attack destroyed much of their community last month. But while new homes are taking shape, families say they are still struggling with hunger, lack of clean water, and fears of another attack. In this collaboration with Ok FM and…
After Mob Attack, Red Cross Begins Rebuilding Destroyed Rivercess Village — But Fear, Hunger and Insecurity Persist
By Eric Opa Doue with New Narratives BETHEL, River Cess County — On a recent humid morning here, the sound of shovels breaking earth has returned for the first time since a mob burned nearly the entire community last month. This time, the digging is not for destruction — but for rebuilding. Workers and residents have begun…
In Rural Liberia, Climate Change and Gold Mining Are Converging to Threaten Livelihoods
Rural communities in River Cess County, Liberia, are facing a dangerous convergence of climate change and unregulated gold mining that is threatening their livelihoods. Once-reliable rivers and creeks have become polluted and muddy, forcing residents to walk long distances or pay for treated water, while local clinics report rising cases of waterborne diseases. Experts warn…
In Rural Liberia, Climate Change and Gold Mining Are Converging to Threaten Livelihoods
In rural areas across Liberia, residents say getting clean drinking water is becoming more difficult as gold mining and climate change pollute rivers and creeks.In this collaboration with OKFM and radio partners, Eric Opa Doue reports from ITI Town in River Cess County, where getting clean water is taking longer — and waterborne illnesses are…
In Rural Liberia, Climate Change and Gold Mining Are Converging to Threaten Livelihoods
By Eric Opa Doue with New Narratives ITI, River Cess County — By the time Rebecca Wilson opens her food stall each morning, she has already made one decision that shapes her entire day: how much water she can afford to buy. Wilson, the town chief here in this remote community near the border with Sinoe…
Vigilante Mob Levels River Cess Village; Authorities Slow to Respond
Residents of Bethel in River Cess County say more than 100 men from nearby Bah Clan communities stormed their town after rumors falsely accused them of killing a missing hunter, leaving 24 homes and 27 rice kitchens burned and over 150 women and children sleeping under the palaver hut with almost nothing to eat. Survivors…
10 Dead, More Than 30 Missing in River Cess Mine Collapse
Video by Eric Opa Doue with New Narratives The mudslide in Chio Town has now claimed 11 lives, deepening the grief of a community already struggling to survive as injured residents receive little to no financial support. Survivors describe a night of chaos in which families dug through collapsing earth with their bare hands to…
Mudslide Death Toll Reaches 11 As Survivors Left without Financial Assistance, Struggle to Cater to Mediation and Needs
By Eric Opa Doue, Contributing Writer CHIO TOWN, River Cess—Aaron Harris, an injured person from the Chio Town mudslide who was being treated at the John F. Kennedy Hospital in Monrovia, was confirmed dead on Sunday morning by authorities. This brings the number of casualties to 11. Apart from the initial ten individuals who were…
Vigilante Mob Levels River Cess Village; Authorities Slow to Respond
By Eric Opa Doue with New Narratives BETHEL, River Cess County — In the latest example of vigilante violence in Liberia, residents of this northern River Cess town say more than 100 men from neighboring communities in the Bah Clan stormed the village 10 days ago, beating residents and setting fire to homes and food…
Flood Victims Angry as Disaster Agency Aid Vanishes and No Help Arrives Six Months After Floods
Flood impacted communities in Liberia say they feel abandoned by government.They have accused the Disaster Management Agency staff of stealing aid en route.As Eric Opa Duoe, New Narratives’ senior correspondent reports, experts say much more needs to be done to protect communities as climate change makes rainy seasons more deadly. New Narratives’ Eric Opa Doue…
Government Declares Collapsed Cestos River Bridge “Beyond Repair” as Economic Shock Ripples Across South East
By Eric Opa Doue with New Narratives ITI, River Cess – Last month’s Cestos River Bridge collapse here in the south of River Cess county, has caused chaos across the country, severing the primary route from the capital to southeastern Liberia during the Christmas and new year holiday period. The bridge collapsed under the weight…
Sun Finally Shines But Devastated River Cess Communities Still Trapped By Flood Waters
By Eric Opa Doue with New Narratives GLANYAH, River Cess – A week of relentless rainfall has plunged the traditional town of Glanyah into chaos, as rising waters swallowed homes and displaced hundreds of residents. This once-thriving community, established in the late 1970s by farmers and hunters, now faces an unprecedented crisis, with 27 houses…
River Cess Community Blames EJ&J Logging Company for Dirty and Reduced Water Supply
By Eric Opa Doue with New Narratives ZAMMIE TOWN, River Cess – It is not yet midday and Odel Morris is already out of water. Most of the customers of her business, selling tea, coffee and snacks here in this rural part of the county are leaving, without being served. Morris says she has been doing for…
As Climate Change Drives More Farmers Into the Forests Ambitious Boakai Forestry Sector Reform Is Yet to Help Local Communities
In River Cess County, residents of Garwin Community Forest say logging companies have abandoned their promises, leaving them poorer than before. As climate change drives more farmers into the forest, the government of President Joseph Boakai is promising reforms. But as Eric Opa Doue reports in this collaboration with New Narratives, for people on the…
As Climate Change Drives More Farmers Into the Forests Ambitious Boakai Forestry Sector Reform Is Yet to Help Local Communities
By Eric Opa Doue with New Narratives KANGBO TOWN, River Cess— On a hot morning in this forest-fringed village of Gborgar Town deep in south-central Liberia, Marthaline Gbar sits hunched outside her zinc-roofed home, stirring a pot of simmering cassava leaves. The pot, barely half full, was meant to stretch across four children aged 5…
Flood Victims Angry as Disaster Agency Aid Vanishes and No Help Arrives Six Months After Floods
By Eric Opa Doue with New Narratives ITI, River Cess – The horizon is gray and murky here and in neighboring Glanyah, two communities battered by the wrath of nature. Mohammed Keita, sits on an old sponge mattress gifted him by a neighbor, in the ruins of his former home that was destroyed by flooding…
10 dead, 30 missing, No Excavator to Conduct Rescue Search as Survivors Say Mines Ministry Forced Them into Abandoned Mine
Ten are confirmed dead, over thirty missing, and survivors blame local authorities for forcing miners into a dangerous pit. Rescue efforts stall as promised excavators fail to arrive amid growing outrage….