By: Benedict AbuBakarr Conteh, Augustine Brima Kanu, and Saidu Mamoud Bah
Miners extracting gold from the Rokel River in Yele, Tonkolili District
Illegal dredge mining in Yele and Rokel, Tonkolili District, is destroying livelihoods, poisoning rivers with mercury, and forcing children into hazardous labour, an investigation by Beline Media Empire, SLBC Makeni and Radio Mankneh Makeni has revealed.
The investigation uncovered testimonies, video evidence, and on-the-ground observations that showed how foreign miners, mainly Ghanaians, alongside local operators, dredge gold from the Teya River using heavy machines that rip through the riverbeds and discharge toxic mercury.
In Gbonkolenken Chiefdom, Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone, the Teya River has long been a source of life. It provided fresh drinking water, fertile farmland, and fishing grounds for Yele Town and Rokel Village. Today, however, the river is a symbol of devastation. Illegal dredge mining has turned once-clear waters into murky currents, destroying livelihoods and ecosystems.
Visual presence of dredges at Yele during our first visit on 25 June 2025.
Yele Town and Rokel Village, with a combined population of over 500 residents, are now struggling to survive, according to some residents. Farming and fishing, once the bedrock of their economy, have been nearly wiped out. Women who relied on vegetable gardens and rice cultivation say they are left without food or income, while fishermen now return from the river empty-handed.
Pa Alie Bangura displaying his fishing net
Pa Alie Bangura, a fisherman who has worked the Teya River since 1980, recounted his hardship:
“I have been fishing all my life, but now I cannot provide for my family or send my children to school. These miners destroyed everything, and no one has compensated us.”
Similarly, Mariatu, a farmer in the Rokel community, lamented that her fields are no longer viable for crops:
“We planted rice and vegetables here, but now the land is destroyed. The water is polluted, and farming has become impossible.”
In an effort to present all sides, we interviewed two miners operating dredges along the river. They wanted to remain anonymous, but their comments reveal the economic desperation driving this destruction:
“This is the only way I can feed my family. Farming is difficult, and there is no other work here,” one miner said, while another added, “We know it’s bad for the river, but we have no choice.”
One of the miners in the River
Their words highlight the larger structural issue: poverty and lack of job opportunities push communities to sacrifice their environment for short-term survival.
Residents also allege that the Paramount Chief of Yele Chiefdom PC Bai Kump Kanasong III is aware of and even benefits from the dredge mining operations. In an on-camera interview, he acknowledged the illegal mining but defended his position:
“Yes, I know mining is happening. Many say it’s their only livelihood. If I stop them, I take food away from families. About 80% of miners here are Sierra Leoneans, and 20% are foreigners, mostly Ghanaians.”
Paramount Chief of Yele Chiefdom PC Bai Kump Kanasong III
The Paramount Chief noted, “I have witnessed several raids conducted by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), the National Minerals Agency (NMA), and other regulators in my Chiefdom, yet the activities continue afterwards. At one point, I halted all mining in my Chiefdom, but the consequences were devastating. Numerous thefts were reported, and even women approached me, pleading that mining was the only source of livelihood for their husbands and families.”
This statement reflects a broader dilemma faced by traditional leaders in mining communities: balancing environmental protection with the survival of their people.
Perhaps the most heartbreaking discovery of our investigation was the sight of children working alongside adults in the mining pits. Several were meant to be in holiday classes but instead laboured under the sun, scooping gravel and sifting for gold.
Children actively involved in Mining in Yele
The involvement of children in hazardous mining work underscores the deepening poverty in Yele and Rokel, raising questions about education, safety, and Sierra Leone’s future.
Illegal dredge mining not only devastates human livelihoods but also wreaks havoc on biodiversity according to Minamata Convention on Mercury. The extensive use of mercury contaminates water supplies and threatens aquatic life. Once-abundant fish stocks have declined sharply, further worsening food insecurity.
Mercury use in artisanal and illegal gold mining has devastating environmental consequences. It contaminates rivers and sediments, where it converts into methylmercury, a toxic compound that accumulates in fish and enters the food chain.
Photograph of mercury in one of the sites we visited in Rokel
This leads to biodiversity loss, declining fish populations, and serious health risks for communities depending on these waters.
According to the United Nation Environment Program, Mercury is a chemical element that is harmful to human health and the environment. Additionally, the Minamata Convention on Mercury defined it as a highly hazardous chemical that, once released into the environment through anthropogenic sources, puts further pressure on biodiversity and ecosystems. It poses a global threat to human health and biodiversity, as it persists in the environment, and bioaccumulates and biomagnifies in the food chain.
Studies from across Africa show soils near mining sites containing mercury concentrations up to 3.9 mg/kg, with water and sediment levels exceeding regulatory safety standards. In some global cases, sediments contained more than 20 mg/kg of mercury.
Such contamination degrades farmland, reduces soil fertility, and threatens drinking water sources. The Minamata Convention on Mercury, which came into force in 2016, underscores the urgent need to reduce these emissions.
Dredges in the river at Yele Town
Despite laws prohibiting unauthorized mining, dredges operate openly, often with unofficial agreements between local leaders and operators.
Despite several government crackdowns, illegal dredge mining persists.
In March 2024, the Environment Protection Agency EPA destroyed machines along the Pampana River in Tonkolili and dismantled over twenty dredges at Wailahun Village in Bo District, while nationwide raids eliminated more than seventy dredges across multiple regions.
The National Minerals Agency NMA also intervened in Kailahun District in 2025, and arrests were made in Koinadugu for unlicensed operations.
Dirt is floating from the oil emitted by these dredges
The impact of illegal mining is not only environmental but deeply human. Families who once depended on farming and fishing are now struggling to afford necessities. Mothers walk for hours to find clean water, and children grow up in an environment where education takes a backseat to survival.
Mariatu’s story is a haunting reminder of what’s at stake: “We are poor people. Farming was all we knew, and now even that is gone. If this continues, our children will have no future.”
I
The Regional Manager, National Minerals Agency, Northern Region, Isaac I.D. Kallon, described what they have been doing to combat illegal dredge mining.
“It is very difficult for these miners to obtain licences because they do not apply through official channels. By operating without permits and avoiding the licensing process, their activities are illegal, and they know it. Mining in riverbeds is not authorised, and licences are not issued for such sites,”said Mr Kallon.
Handling these cases is complex and risky. Many illegal mining sites are in concealed, hard-to-access locations. Miners, aware of the illegality of their actions, are often prepared to resist arrest. For this reason, interventions require coordinated operations involving the Environment Protection Agency, the National Minerals Agency and security forces working together; individual officers rarely intervene alone.
“We rarely meet the miners in person because of intelligence from community members,” Mr Kallon added. “Before we reach the site, they have fled; all we sometimes find are the equipment, which we then destroy. But they do not stay in one place. If we destroy one site, they simply establish another nearby.”
Asked about the legal framework for dredging, he explained: “If they legalize dredge mining, it is okay. There is a section that allows dredging under an industrial licence. For small-scale operations, or if you have a designated area, you can use a dredge, but the type of dredge they are operating is illegal, and we do not issue licences for such activities.”
Mr Kallon also stressed the environmental and health risks: “There are plenty of risks associated with this mining. They use a chemical known as mercury, which is unsafe for human consumption. Many local communities depend on these rivers for drinking water. The machines they use also leak oil into the river, which is unsafe too. The environment and the ecosystem are being destroyed.”
A major operational challenge, he added, is community reluctance to share intelligence. “The challenge we face is the community harbouring foreigners who participate in illegal dredge mining. It is very difficult to get a community member to come forward. If we got the support of the community, it would greatly benefit our work: we could act quietly and apprehend these individuals. But their lack of support makes it difficult. We usually receive complaints from journalists or outsiders, not from people connected to those communities. It becomes a chain, and intelligence is hard to obtain.”
Illegal gold mining in Sierra Leone is part of a larger pattern across Africa, where resource-rich regions are exploited at the expense of local populations. While gold extraction brings short-term gains to some, the long-term consequences are devastating: toxic rivers, barren farmland, and displaced communities.
The Teya River once symbolized life for Yele and Rokel, but now it represents loss. Illegal dredge mining is not just an environmental crisis but a humanitarian one. From poisoned water to lost education, entire generations are being shaped by decisions that value gold over people.
Key questions remain: where is the gold from these illegal dredge sites being sold? Who is buying it locally or internationally? And what alternative livelihoods exist to help miners transition away from this destructive practice?
This investigation was supported by BBC Media Action and funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), co-funded by the European Union (EU).
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