By: Ben T.C. Brooks
River Gee County | Jan. 30, 2026 | Residents of Nyenebo administrative district in River Gee County are living in deep hardship after decades of neglect have left the area almost completely cut off from the rest of the county.
With no accessible roads, no mobile network coverage, and very limited health and education services, communities across the district say they are trapped in poverty, isolation, and abandonment.
For many years, the lack of basic infrastructure has blocked Nyenebo from development and denied residents access to essential public services.
The situation becomes especially dangerous during the rainy season, when roads leading into the district turn into muddy, flooded paths that are impossible for vehicles to use.
During this time, residents are forced to walk for hours through thick forest and deep mud just to reach neighboring towns.
Pregnant women, the elderly, and the seriously ill are often carried on makeshift stretchers.
Others, with no means of transport, are left to suffer at home, sometimes losing their lives.
“We are suffering,” said Ma. Esther K. Toe, a mother of six from Karbuken. “When someone gets sick at night, there is no way to call for help. Sometimes, we just pray and wait, not knowing if the person will survive.”
Equally troubling is the total absence of mobile network coverage throughout the entire Nyenebo administrative district, which includes eight towns and several surrounding villages.
Residents say there is no phone signal anywhere, making it impossible to call for medical assistance, contact relatives, or alert authorities during emergencies.
According to community members, this communication blackout has contributed to preventable deaths and increased insecurity.
“There is no mobile network in the whole district,” Ma. Toe added.
“Apart from Karbuken, cars and motorcycles can not reach the rest of the towns. We walk two to three hours just to get to other communities,” another resident Pauh Bartee from Mahken told our reporter.
Nyenebo administrative district is made up of eight towns of Behteken, Mahken, Woloken, and Tyaken. Others are; Dwehso, Tianbo, Wlehaken, and Karbuken.
The district has a population of 7,905 people, according to the 2022 National Housing and Population Census conducted by the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services LISGIS.
Despite this population and the long distances between communities, the district has only one health facility, a small clinic located in Tyaken.
For many residents, reaching the clinic requires walking for more than an hour, making timely medical care extremely difficult, especially during emergencies or at night.
The education sector in Nyenebo is also in serious trouble. The Karbuken Public School, the district’s main school, was built through the self-initiative of community members.
The school has only one government-paid teacher, yet it serves more than 300 students, leaving children with limited learning opportunities and an uncertain future.
Although agriculture remains the main source of livelihood in the district, farmers face major challenges transporting their produce to market due to the poor road network.
As a result, post-harvest losses are high, incomes are low, and many families survive only on subsistence farming.
Residents say successive governments and development partners have continued to overlook Nyenebo, leaving the people feeling forgotten and neglected.
The people of Nyenebo are now calling on the national government, lawmakers, and humanitarian organizations to urgently intervene to constructing all-weather roads, expanding mobile network coverage, improving health and education facilities and providing basic social and economic support services.
As Liberia continues to speak about development, inclusion, and national growth, Nyenebo administrative district in River Gee remains a painful reminder of communities still waiting to be seen, heard, and helped.
