January 30, 2019
Society for Democratic Initiatives (SDI) has in a press statement expressed grave concern over the clash between the Sierra Leone Police and some aggrieved residents in the Sahn Malen Chiefdom,thus calling on government to protect the rights of citizens in that part of the country.
They noted that as an institution, they have been closely monitoring the disagreement over the operations of SOCFIN Company in that part of the country, with special attention paid to land rights and human rights’ issues.
They stated that they embarked on a fact finding visit in 2018 and that a number of issues were recorded including police brutality and violence.
“Incidences of police brutality were reported to us, often in association with arrests, beatings, extortion and even alleged looting of properties. During the 2013 arrest of 53 landowning activists, police resorted to physical violence that resulted in serious head injuries and in physical and emotional trauma from beatings meted out on community people,” they claimed.
They further cited the issues of informed consent and land lease contract, adding that, “In addition to issues of police brutality, a recurrent theme in every conversation and interview we conducted was the complaint that land sales were obtained through coercion and misrepresentation. Many stated that they refused to sell land, but that land was taken despite their protests; sometimes through force, sometimes with a warning from the local Chief that the land would be taken with or without consent. Others recalled instances of deception, wherein they were enticed to leave the land and, while they were away, their land was taken by Socfin.”
The organisation expressed that they were of the view that the government of Sierra Leone has been unable to handle the situation properly and therefore, a repeat of more police brutality and violence that have now led to the death of two citizens, community people being displaced and the arrest and detention of the sitting member of Parliament, Hon. Shaka Sama.
“We at SDI view these developments with the utmost trepidation and while we will use our resources to support the poor and vulnerable citizens, we will call on the government of Sierra Leone to properly institute an independent investigation into the said incidence. We believe that Police sources are already part of the problem,” they stated.
They called on Parliament to look into the lease agreement between Socfin Agricultural Company and the people of Sahn Malen, investigate the recent police and military intervention that led to the alleged murder of two citizens and take prompt and appropriate actions to bring the perpetrators to book.
They again cited the issue of child labour in that part of the country.
“Community members had confirmed instances of child labour to us. One local teacher maintained that “a lot of children” can be found working in the company, even though their ages legally require them to be in school.”
The human rights organization further cited destruction of way of life and disintegration of family structures in that part of the country.
“Certain changes in lifestyle have taken place since Socfin began undertaking activities in the area. In terms of family disintegration, community members held that their families have been “divided” and “no longer speak as one.” They spoke of increased divorce rates and women being disobedient, something they said was not common in their society before Socfin started operations there,” they claimed.