1505 Allat calls for a moratorium on land grabbing in Sierra Leone
In 2013 AEFJN and its partners reported to the Belgian Parliament on a case of land grabbing in the Malen Chiefdom in Sierra Leone. The NGOs, FIAN and Green Scenery, published reports on the effects of large scale agri-investments there. In general, local communities say that their access to food and water has declined and that local ecosystems have been damaged by large scale monocultures of palm oil. In 2015, these conditions, far from improving, have worsened. The Malen Chiefdom has been joined by other chiefdoms, Makpele and Soro Gbema, in their resistance against land grabs.
Reports show that large scale land acquisitions in the region increase tensions in a country that is recovering from civil war as well as from the Ebola crisis. Reports show that unrest increased in the Malen Chiefdom, with over 13 persons arrested.
Due to the increased unrest as well as the deterioration of the livelihoods of local communities, the ALLAT, Action for Large Scale Land Acquisition Transparency (a group of various civil society organisations) is demanding a moratorium. ALLAT argues that a moratorium will allow the government to design policies that protect local communities as well as creating investment that is sustainable.
Source Farmlandgrab