The government, through the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS) has deported twenty Burkinabé nationals from Grand Kru County, intensifying national debate over irregular migration, land use, and environmental degradation linked to foreign farming activities in rural Liberia.
The group was intercepted last week at the Topoh Checkpoint in Barclayville, having entered the county through the Behwan border point. According to LIS Commander in the county, Augustine Gbolego, the individuals were invited by community leaders in Picnicess, a remote Garraway community struggling with severe food shortages.
But their presence violated a recent prohibition from the LIS headquarters in Monrovia, which bars the settling of Burkinabé nationals anywhere in Liberia pending new immigration policy measures.
"We acted in line with the directive issued in mid-September. No Burkinabé is allowed to settle in any of the counties until the policy framework is finalized," Commander Gbolego said. He added that the group would be escorted to the Ivorian border for departure in accordance with immigration protocols.
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Liberia has witnessed a large influx of Burkinabé migrants over the past decade, due to insecurity in Burkina Faso, collapsing rural livelihoods, and the expansion of West Africa's informal agricultural labor market.
A recent LIS nationwide registration drive recorded tens of thousands of Burkinabé living across southeastern Liberia--mainly in Grand Gedeh, Maryland, River Gee and parts of Nimba and Sinoe counties. Many arrive through informal crossings, settle on rented land, and engage in farming, particularly cocoa and plantain cultivation.
The LIS says the registration process aims to legalize foreign nationals by issuing resident permits in accordance with the Alien and Nationality Law. But the sudden scale of migration has created tension in host communities over land rights, environmental damage, and fears of undocumented settlement.
Local leaders say they invited the Burkinabés because they, the local) are hungry. Authorities in Picnicess said the decision to bring in the Burkinabé workers was driven by desperation.
Town leaders described chronic food insecurity, worsened by low agricultural productivity and reliance on inconsistent fishing.
"People say they are fishing, but they are not serious. We need food," said one town elder.
Clan Chief Daniel K. Sharp echoed the crisis, "Only five persons here are actively farming. That's why we decided to invite people who can help produce food for our survival."
Local residents insist they were not attempting to break the law but simply trying to fill a gap left by declining local farming activity and growing hunger.
While Burkinabé migrants are often praised for their strong work ethic and for reviving farmlands in rural Liberia, their presence has also triggered significant environmental and land-management concerns.
Investigations across southeastern Liberia have linked some Burkinabé farmers to clear-cutting large forest areas to establish cocoa and plantain farms, unregulated slash-and-burn practices, expansion into protected forest zones, unmonitored land leasing agreements with local elders.
These practices have accelerated deforestation, undermining efforts to preserve Liberia's rainforest--one of West Africa's largest remaining carbon sinks.
Environmental experts warn that such deforestation contributes to local climate change, including hotter, drier conditions, declining rainfall patterns, soil degradation, disruption of biodiversity.
While these outcomes are not caused by Burkinabé migrants alone, their farming expansion has intensified existing pressures.
Liberia lacks a clear framework governing, foreign farmer integration, environmental compliance, land leasing procedures, community benefit-sharing agreements.
This vacuum has allowed informal, unregulated arrangements that sometimes result in land disputes, forest depletion, and tension between locals and migrants.
"We must balance security, community needs, and the law"
Commander Gbolego emphasized that the deportation was not solely punitive but part of a broader strategy to regulate migration and prevent illegal settlement.
"We are enforcing the law, but we are also mindful of humanitarian concerns. The individuals will be safely escorted out of the country," he assured.
The new LIS directive forms part of the agency's five-year strategic plan (2025-2030), which aims to modernize immigration enforcement, improve border management, and strengthen coordination between local authorities and national agencies.
Immigration officials say they want to avoid the rising tensions seen in Grand Gedeh, Maryland, and River Gee, where disputes over land use, farming rights, and migrant settlement have escalated.
Communities like Picnicess face a difficult choice such as obeying immigration laws or seek help from migrants who can work the land and ensure food supplies.
Many rural counties lack access to mechanized farming, youth willing to farm, effective government agricultural programs, and stable markets for produce.
In these gaps, Burkinabé farmers often step in--filling labor needs but raising legal, environmental, and security questions.
Many believe that the Grand Kru incident highlights a deeper national dilemma about how Liberia can protect its borders and forests while addressing food insecurity and supporting community survival.
The LIS is expected to announce additional policy measures once its new immigration framework is finalized. These could include stricter border surveillance, regulated migrant worker permits, environmental compliance rules for foreign farmers, formal agreements between chiefs and migrant groups, and clear penalties for illegal settlement.
For now, the twenty deported individuals will return through the Ivorian border as the government tightens its enforcement stance.
But the underlying issues -- hunger, migration, land pressure, and climate threat -- remain.
Until they are addressed holistically, Liberia's rural communities will continue to struggle at the intersection of food security, foreign labor, and environmental protection.