Freetown, 18th February 2026- A government-commissioned investigation has revealed that scores of luxury mansions have been illegally built inside the Western Area Peninsula National Park, Sierra Leone’s most critical environmental buffer. Shockingly, senior government officials are accused of facilitating the encroachment by issuing land documents in direct violation of the law.
The findings, obtained exclusively by the Associated Press (AP) and The Gecko Project, expose how powerful individuals have carved up protected rainforest land, threatening Freetown’s water supply and putting thousands of lives at risk.
The report indicates that at least 50 mansions have been built or are under construction in Bio Barray, a neighborhood carved illegally into the park. Satellite imagery shows that forest once standing in 2019 has been cleared at alarming speed.
The park, proposed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to the reservoir that provides 90% of Freetown’s water. Experts have warned of looming water shortages, landslides, and fires, disasters Sierra Leone has already suffered in recent years.
The government’s own investigation, commissioned by President Julius Maada Bio in 2022 after a devastating fire near the reservoir, found that Denis Sandy, then Minister of Lands, signed at least 175 land lease documents in violation of the Forestry Law. The committee recommended punitive measures against Sandy and 16 other officials. Despite promises of action, construction continues, and Sandy now serves as Minister of Works and Public Assets.
The report described the deforestation as “an environmental time bomb that has to be nipped in the bud.”
Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr said the Bio Barray settlement is home to “powerful people who were allowed to ignore the law.” Residents confirmed that at least 14 villa owners work in government, including staff in the Office of the President, the Lands Ministry, and the Environment Protection Agency.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) says it has not investigated the findings. While the National Protected Area Authority claimed encroachment had stopped, satellite images and on-the-ground visits show otherwise. President Bio once declared: “Even if a house belongs to me or my family, it would be broken down.” Yet, no demolitions have taken place.
The Western Area Peninsula National Park is not just a forest; it is Sierra Leone’s lifeline. Its destruction threatens water security for nearly 1.5 million residents in the capital, public safety, as landslides like the 2017 disaster that killed over 1,000 people could recur and international credibility, as Sierra Leone seeks UNESCO recognition for the park.
This investigation was reported by the Associated Press in collaboration with The Gecko Project, with support from the Pulitzer Center.
