Deal #2371 Version #57938

The press article states that the agreement followed "a day-long open engagement of all the parties involved"; according to Green Scenery, there was a lack of information given to local farmers. In October 2011, 40 protesters were arrested after clashes . The people criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the transaction and the lack of real consultation and information. Another source states that the communities were not subject to free, prior and informed consent. The government transferred the land to the company with a whole host of unresolved issues. One report states that the communities were not aware of that their land had been leased.

according to Green Scenery, corruption and pressure was applied on land-owners and town chiefs to sign agreements.the establishment of the company has met with significant resistance from the local population. People from several communities affected by the SAC lease area have formed the Malen Affected Landowners Association (MALOA) to defend the rights of landowners and land users. Several individual landowners have also sent official complaints about tree-crop and oil palm plantations that SAC destroyed, allegedly without their permission, to the senior district officer and other local authorities.There have been several confrontations in the area between SAC surveyors and heavy equipment operators and local people protesting SAC intrusion on their lands, some of which have led to arrests. In December 2012, more than 100 aggrieved landowners and users met in Pujehun and signed a resolution calling for the Human Rights Commission to intervene on their behalf and saying they would no longer permit Socfin personnel or machines on their land. On 9th December 2013, another protest was held by the elders to allow people to again express their grievances to the Paramount Chief over the lease of land. Hundreds were waiting in the village of Libby Malen for the chiefdom authorities to arrive when they learned that nine of their fellow villagers had been beaten and arrested by the police en route to the meeting.The rest of the villages fled from the protest spot immediately but were confronted with an armed contingent of police who fired tear gas and live bullets into the crowd, leaving many people with serious injuries. After continuous complaints government, the villagers are still not heard. The local communities have protested against Bollore within the wider protests against the company. 5 Landowners have been found guilty by a high court in Southern Sierra Leone after they were allegedly found guilty of damaging the plantation- prison for 5 months or a fine of $5,100 each.

In 40 villages, Since March 2014 Libby Village has been forced to halt their subsistence farming so that the company could carry out surveys and brush the land. According to a report less than ten villages remain intact throughout the entire chiefdom.

The General Manager of Socfin, Gerben Haringsma assured the Government of Sierra Leone and the people of Malen Chiefdom that the Company would live up to their corporate social responsibilities including the construction of a resident hospital, network of roads, schools, housing facilities, job opportunities for 10,000 people with special preference given to natives of the chiefdom. Moreover he promised that full payment would be made for existing plantations in the areas of operations to be followed by an annual payment of lease rents to land owners. According to Green Scenery, it is not clear what formula will be used in the distribution of the land lease payment between District Council, administration, national government and land-owners. Socfin originally offered US$220 per hectare as a one-off payment for the land, but this offer was rejected for being very low compared to the real value. Apparently the communities were paid a $40 000 for rent in 2011. The NGO Maloa protests since 2011 against the conditions under which an affiliate of the group settled on his land. Five of its members were jailed for two weeks and will be judged on November 15 2013 for destroying plants palm oil.

The company's promise to give back to the communities includes three roadwork projects and has built eight water wells, one ambulance, a primary school, some footwear and jerseys for a friendly football match, a generator and paint for the police station outside the company's operational area. To date, the company has no intention of investing in agricultural programmes, nor has it looked at how local people who have lost their livelihood can be compensated.