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A comprehensive investigation by The Associated Press and The Gecko Project has uncovered systemic environmental violations by Liberia’s largest gold mining operation. Bea Mountain Mining Corporation, the nation’s premier gold producer, has repeatedly discharged hazardous chemicals including cyanide at concentrations exceeding Liberia’s legal limits, according to environmental authorities.

The investigation reveals a pattern of ecological damage and community distress spanning several years. Residents of adjacent villages reported consistent findings of dead fish in local waterways and expressed profound frustration over unaddressed grievances. Beyond chemical contamination, communities attributed structural damage to homes from mining explosions and increased human-wildlife conflicts as elephants, displaced by operational blasts, raided agricultural lands.

Tensions culminated in violent protests across Gogoima and Kinjor villages in 2024, where residents alleged law enforcement responded with excessive force including beatings, tear gas deployment, and three fatalities. Liberia National Police spokesperson Cecelia Clarke dismissed these allegations as “false and misleading.”

Financial analysis indicates substantial export revenues exceeding $576 million between July 2021 and December 2022, with government receipts totaling $37.8 million during this period. Despite this economic activity, community investment remained minimal at just $2 million for environmental and social programs—representing merely 0.35% of export earnings. The Liberian government maintains a 5% stake in these operations.

Regulatory documents retrieved from Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicate four documented chemical spills between 2016 and 2023, with the company failing to promptly report incidents as required. EPA inspectors repeatedly recommended financial penalties, yet only one $99,999 fine was issued in 2018, later reduced to $25,000 without explanation.

Canadian toxicologist Mandy Olsgard, upon reviewing EPA reports, characterized the corporate conduct as “sustained negligence.” In response to mounting violations, Bea Mountain withdrew from the Cyanide Management Code, an international standard requiring independent audits.

The supply chain investigation traced Bea Mountain’s gold to Swiss refiner MKS PAMP, which supplies technology giants including Nvidia and Apple. While MKS PAMP commissioned an independent assessment that identified health and safety improvements without recommending relationship termination, the findings remain confidential.

Bea Mountain is ultimately controlled by Murathan Günal through Avesoro Resources, part of the Turkish billionaire Günal family’s Mapa Group conglomerate. Neither entity responded to requests for comment regarding the investigation’s findings.

The remote village of Jikandor in Liberia’s dense rainforest faces an environmental catastrophe as generations of fishing and river-based livelihood have been destroyed by repeated toxic spills from the country’s largest gold mining operation. An extensive investigation by The Associated Press and The Gecko Project reveals systemic failures by Bea Mountain Mining Corporation that have compelled residents to abandon their ancestral homes.

According to retrieved Environmental Protection Agency documents and interviews with government officials, experts, and former employees, Bea Mountain’s substandard facilities have repeatedly leaked dangerous levels of cyanide, arsenic, and copper over several years. These spills consistently exceeded Liberia’s legal pollution limits, creating an environmental emergency that the government has largely failed to address.

Canadian toxicologist Mandy Olsgard, who reviewed the EPA reports, characterized the company’s conduct as “sustained negligence.” The investigation uncovered that Bea Mountain failed to promptly report a major 2022 spill and actively blocked government inspectors from accessing their laboratory and testing data.

The gold extracted from these operations enters global supply chains through Swiss refiner MKS PAMP, which supplies major technology companies including Nvidia and Apple. While MKS PAMP commissioned an independent assessment that identified areas for improvement, the company declined to share specific findings and maintains its relationship with Bea Mountain.

Between July 2021 and December 2022, Bea Mountain exported over $576 million worth of gold from Liberia while contributing just $37.8 million to government coffers. The mining operation is controlled by Murathan Günal through Avesoro Resources, part of his father Mehmet Nazif Günal’s Turkish business empire.

The environmental crisis follows years of warnings from multiple consultancies that had identified contamination risks as early as 2012. Despite these warnings and the company’s pledge to adhere to the Cyanide Management Code, Bea Mountain withdrew from the program without undergoing any audits.

The first documented spill occurred in March 2016, just before the Günal family acquired the mine, with four confirmed cases of exceeding government pollution limits following. In the most severe incident in May 2022, dead fish floated downstream for over 10 miles, with villagers reporting severe illness after consuming contaminated fish.

Despite repeated recommendations from EPA inspectors for penalties, only one fine was issued—reduced from $99,999 to $25,000. The EPA’s current leadership, which took office in 2024, has ordered remediation measures and facilitated a legally binding agreement for village relocation and compensation.

As the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics approach, the United Nations and Olympic organizers have renewed their call for a worldwide cessation of hostilities—a modern interpretation of the ancient Greek tradition known as the Olympic Truce. This seven-week pause, scheduled to begin one week prior to the February 6 opening ceremonies and extend through the Paralympics’ conclusion, represents a symbolic appeal for peace during a period of unprecedented global conflict.

The concept originates from ancient Greece, where warring city-states would halt combat to ensure safe passage for athletes and spectators traveling to Olympia. Revived in modern form during the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Games amid the Yugoslav Wars, the truce has since become a ceremonial tradition backed by UN resolutions—though it has failed to stop any conflicts in its 17 attempts.

Despite its imperfect record, the truce has occasionally produced meaningful moments: a one-day humanitarian pause during the Sarajevo siege allowed aid delivery in 1994, and the 2000 Sydney Games witnessed a unified march by North and South Korean athletes. Constantinos Filis, director of the International Olympic Truce Center, acknowledges the practical challenges but emphasizes the importance of the symbolic message reaching global audiences.

This appeal for peace comes against a troubling backdrop documented by Uppsala University’s conflict researchers, who reported 61 active armed conflicts in 2024—the highest number recorded in modern history. Their upcoming report indicates even greater conflict numbers for 2025, with particular concern about Western Africa where extremist groups continue expanding operations.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists reinforced this grim assessment by moving their symbolic Doomsday Clock closer to midnight, reflecting increased existential threats to humanity. Meanwhile, the gap between Olympic ideals and reality remains starkly evident—Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began during a truce period in 2022.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres and International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry maintain that the Games represent a unique opportunity to transcend geopolitical divisions. Coventry, reflecting on her childhood in Zimbabwe, emphasized how witnessing peaceful competition can inspire hope and celebrate shared humanity even during times of profound division.