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Deal #1151 Version #51496
Cameroon
Created at
2013-02-15
Last update
2021-01-14
Last full update
2024-04-08
Names of communities / indigenous peoples affected
Name of community
Dibombari, Mbongo, Mbambou, Eséka, Edéa and Kienké communities
Consultation of local community
Community consultation
Limited consultation
Comment on consultation of local community
No consultation with the forest-dwelling Bagyeli people
During the privatisation of the current Socapalm plantation after 2000, the government committed to returning thousands of hectares to local communities, but so far only just over 100 hectares have been returned. Concession boundaries are unclear for communities and living space for communities is not sufficient due to plantation encroachment. People are not aware of what land has been returned to them and where their customary lands and farms are inside concession boundaries.
How did the community react?
Community reaction
Rejection
Comment on community reaction
On June 1, 2016, hundreds of community members peacefully mobilized to disrupt Socapalm and Safacam's activities
in five plantations (Mbambou, Mbongo, Dibombari, safacam,
Kienké) and to challenge the company administration.
In June 2020, Mongabay reported on a decade of community resistance around unresolved issues including land rights, poor housing conditions for workers, pollution and a low integration of the local population into the workforce.
Presence of land conflicts
Presence of land conflicts
Yes
Comment on presence of land conflicts
Land acquisition conflicts
Plantation conflicts (incl. Pulp Deforestation)
Agro-fuels and biomass energy plants (Agro-toxics).
Guardian in 2015 reported that villagers in the Dibombari region protested the expansion onto land they claim as their own, staging blockades to prevent construction workers from crossing their lands.
Negative impacts for local communities
Negative impacts for local communities
Environmental degradation, Socio-economic, Cultural loss, Other
Comment on negative impacts for local communities
Traditional authorities of Mbonjo, a village located in Moungo division of the Littoral region accuse SOCAPALM (Société Camerounaise de Palmeraies) of defiling their cultural heritage and landgrabbing.
Mbonjo Community is a typical agricultural setting that depends on subsidence economy for survival and can no longer survive because not only have their land be expropriated but they have been denied their source of survival.
The group has also been accused of water pollution and inequitable distribution of wealth. For instance, the agrochemicals used in the monocultures and the residues of its Kienké processing plant have massively polluted nearby rivers.
Numerous reports also confirm that Socapalm is taking villagers’ lands outright.
Increase in land conflicts between immigrants and local people because of the scarcity of land.
Promised or received compensation
Promised compensation (e.g. for damages or resettlements)
In 2013, an action plan was signed between Bolloré Group and some ten NGOs defending the rights of communities on the issue of palm oil production in Cameroon. It was intended to improve the living conditions of residents and workers of SOCAPALM.
Received compensation (e.g. for damages or resettlements)
However, the Bolloré Group is accused of never having respected its commitments. The workers of SOCAPALM are disgruntled because after several hours of work they are paid only 650 FCFA daily.
Promised benefits for local communities
Promised benefits for local communities
Education, Other
Comment on promised benefits for local communities
Water Wells
Materialized benefits for local communities
Materialized benefits for local communities
Health, Education, Roads, Other
Comment on materialized benefits for local communities
According to the company sources neigbouring communities have access to free education for their children in schools built by Socapalm and also have free access to Socapalm’s medical services.
Socapalm provides several villages with electrical connections of medium and low voltage; several drinking water units are also installed in the villages, as well as boreholes and wells for which Socapalm ensures repair and maintenance.Furthermore, Socapalm ensures the excavation and re-profiling of roads, construction and maintenance of bridges connecting the villages to each other and to the urban centers.
Presence of organizations and actions taken (e.g. farmer organizations, NGOs, etc.)
Presence of organizations and actions taken (e.g. farmer organizations, NGOs, etc.)
In 2013, an action plan was signed between Bolloré Group and some ten NGOs defending the rights of communities on the issue of palm oil production in Cameroon. It was intended to improve the living conditions of residents and workers of SOCAPALM.
Local producers have been staging strike actions against the company, which they accuse of failing to respect terms of the agreement.