Deal #3463

Liberia
Created at
2013-03-25
Last update
2024-03-05
Last full update
2024-03-05

Names of communities / indigenous peoples affected

Name of community
Gewloken

Recognition status of community land tenure

Recognition status of community land tenure
Indigenous Peoples traditional or customary rights not recognized by government
Comment on recognition status of community land tenure
Wilson would beat all odds to defend the remaining portion of his ancestral land His family and the people of Gewloken had lost a huge swathe of land to Decoris Oil Palm Company, a previous Ivory Coast-based firm that operated in that region from 1980 to 1987

Consultation of local community

Community consultation
Not consulted
Comment on consultation of local community
The MOPP/SIFCA concession agreement was signed without the free, prior and informed consent of the affected communities in Pleebo/Sodoken District, Maryland County, Liberia.

How did the community react?

Community reaction
Rejection
Comment on community reaction
MOPP unilaterally demarcated boundaries.

Presence of land conflicts

Presence of land conflicts
Yes
Comment on presence of land conflicts
MOPP/SIFCA cleared, occupied and established its oil palm plantation on the customary and deeded land of indigenous Pleebo communities and peoples, even going beyond the land areas previously cleared by its predecessor, Decoris, without their consent.

Displacement of people

Displacement of people
Yes
Comment on displacement of people
Resettlement only if the inhabitants impede the investors development. Another source states: Individual accounts suggest communities were forcibly evicted from their homes; properties were destroyed and houses burnt; and communities lost their farmlands and their livelihoods - but did not receive any compensation for crops destroyed or for any other damages.

Negative impacts for local communities

Negative impacts for local communities
Environmental degradation, Socio-economic, Cultural loss, Displacement, Violence, Other
Comment on negative impacts for local communities
MOPP/SIFCA destroyed crops, farm lands, sources of drinking water, other natural resources, and burial grounds. MOPP/SIFCA polluted several water sources of the affected communities through the company’s use of agro-chemicals and land clearing. MOPP a have been engaged in deforestation. Their operations have also led to mass forced removals and displacement of local communities in Pleebo-Sodoken District, Maryland County. In 2012, SIFCA security killed a man on its plantation. Many people has lost their villages, farmlands, ancestral graveyards and shrines. The following year, MOPP signed an agreement worth US$203 million for 25 years, stretching as far as Grand Kru. Wilson’s first encounter with MOPP happened in October 2010. MOPP had sent workers to clear land they claim is part of its concession area. They destroyed banana shrubs and rice stalks on his farm. Still haunted by memories of Decoris’ land grab, Wilson was furious. A scuffle ensued, with men from Gewloken joining the fray

Promised or received compensation

Promised compensation (e.g. for damages or resettlements)
The investor and the government work together to resettle, at the investors cost, up to a maximum of US$ 200 per hectare. The government will pay the costs exceeding US$200. Investor resettlement costs will be credited against income tax payable.
Received compensation (e.g. for damages or resettlements)
Communities claim that they have not received compensation. MOPP did not sign Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the affected communities that addresses expectations of the communities and documents the social responsibility and other commitments of the company to the communities and by which MOPP can be held accountable.

Promised benefits for local communities

Promised benefits for local communities
Health, Education, Financial support
Comment on promised benefits for local communities
Investor to provide reasonable medical care for local communities. The company will invest $5 per developed hectare annually to the community development fund- the fund is managed by a committee selected by the local community. Benefits not delivered as promised.

Materialized benefits for local communities

Comment on materialized benefits for local communities
Communities have protested and have often organized strike actions against MOPP for benefits that have been promised but have not been delivered.

Presence of organizations and actions taken (e.g. farmer organizations, NGOs, etc.)

Presence of organizations and actions taken (e.g. farmer organizations, NGOs, etc.)
Liberian civil society organizations and community leaders warned lenders about the human rights and environmental violations associated with the plantation in a June 8 letter, 2018.