2017 went down as one of the deadliest years ever for land defenders. It was also a pretty bad year for several land grabbers.
NGOs and solidarity organisations supporting the struggles of affected local communities assess the problems caused, and promises unkept, by the SOCFIN group, as shareholders meet for the rubber and oil palm giant’s AGM on 30 May.
- Actionaid France et al
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29 May 2018
Courts are beginning to rule in favor of the displaced communities, and companies are feeling pressured to offer compromises.
African Agriculture Fund Environmental, Social and Governance Annual Report 2017
Un candidat indépendant, défendant les droits des communautés locales affectées par les activités du groupe agroindustriel SOCFIN dans la chefferie de Malen, a été élu au Parlement national.
私たち、工業的なモノカルチャー・プランテーション、とりわけ油ヤシ・プランテーションの拡張によって影響を受ける女性グループのリーダーは、西・中央アフリカの異なる国々、そしてシエラレオネ各地からここに集った。
- Port Loko Declaration: Women say “We want our lands back!”
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08 January 2018
Swedwatch report shows how local communities were affected when the Addax Bioenergy project in Sierra Leone stalled and when development banks exited from the project without taking steps to protect that the rights of local communities.
- Swedwatch
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08 November 2017
Malen Affected Land Owners and Users Association leader says the entire chiefdom is under siege to SOCFIN, a Belgian company that has invested in oil palm plantations in southern Sierra Leone.
- Concord Times
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27 October 2017
A caravan of 200 women was stopped by police on their way to Pujehun to urge local authorities to take action against the Luxembourg-based oil palm plantation company SOCFIN for grabbing their lands and committing other related human rights abuses.
- MALOA et al
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25 September 2017
Le 21 septembre 2017, la police a empêché 150 à 200 femmes de se rendre à Pujehun, en Sierra Leone, en vue d’exhorter les autorités locales à prendre des mesures contre la société SOCFIN.
- MALOA et al.
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25 September 2017
There is a large gap between SOCFIN's “responsible management” policy and the reality of violence and destruction around its plantations, where, with the complicity of national governments, the company attempts to suppress people’s resistance.
This study highlights the role of European Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) in possible land grabs and questionable forestry projects in Africa.