The massive felling of trees for timber in Liberia is engendering destructive floods while helping President Charles Taylor avoid the worst effects of United Nation sanctions, AFP reported on Wednesday.
The news agency quoted a Liberian Forest Development Authority publication as reporting a record income of US $20 million from logging in the first half of this year. An official reportedly said the real figure was likely to be higher, according to AFP. However, AFP reported Minister of Agriculture Roland Massaquoi as saying that widespread logging was altering weather patterns in the area, particularly through flooding, which has affected several towns and villages.
AFP also quoted the UK-based activist group, Global Witness, as saying that logging was helping Liberia circumvent UN sanctions imposed on Taylor’s government for backing Sierra Leone’s rebel Revolutionary United Front.
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