“Unfortunately, these measures alone will not be enough to restore Firestone-Liberia to profitability. The exact nature of Firestone’s activities in the plantation between 1990 and 1997 remained unclear, but according to Donald Ensminger, then General manager of Firestone, “Firestone hired a young Liberian-born lawyer with impressive credentials. As the acting minister of finance, he sat across the table from Firestone in rubber contract negotiations. According to the TRC of Liberia Final Report, “rubber exports, especially by Firestone, continued throughout the conflict period without sanctions. Current operationsIn 2005, the Firestone Company and the Liberian government signed a new 37-year deal raising the lease to 50 cents per acre.

Source: Daily Observer March 19, 2019 02:26 UTC