This page collects information about the landgrabbing by Socfin Agricultural Company Ltd (SAC) In Sierra Leone (Malen Chiefdom, Pujehun District).

FIAN Belgium is not responible for the content of these information, except for those it has published. These information are made public for purpose of transparency. It will be regularly updated.

Studies and reports from NGOs, Think tanks and academics

• Green Scenery, "The Socfin Land Deal Missing Out On Best Practices: Fact finding Mission to Malen Chiefdom, Pujehun District, Sierra Leone," May 2011.
• P. JOHNBULL, « Alegal analysis of the lease agreements between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Tribal authorities of the Malen Chiefdom, Pujehun District, Southern Province of the Republic of Sierra Leone », 2011.
• Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e.V, “Increasing Pressure for Land: Implications for Rural Livelihoods and Development Actors. A Case Study in Sierra Leone”, October 2012.
• Oakland Institute, "SOCFIN Land investment in Sierra Leone", Land Deal Brief, April 2012.
• IFPRI, « How pressure for land transforms rural livelihoods in Sierra Leone : Case study : SAC investment in Malen Chiefdom, Pujehun District », in Global Hunger Index 2012, (pp.35-40)
• FIAN Belgium et al. « Résistances locales contre l’huile de palme en Sierra Leone », Bruxelles, Juin 2013.
• J. Baxter, “Who is Benefiting? The social and economic impact of three large-scale land investment in Sierra Leone: a cost-benefit analysis”, ALLAT, July 2013.
• CNCD-11.11.11 et al., « Ruées vers les terres : quelles complicités belges dans le nouveau Far West mondial ? », Bruxelles, Juin 2013 (pp. 20-21).
• G. T. Yengoh and F.A. Armah (2014), « Land access constraints for communities affected by large-scale land acquisition in Southern Sierra Leone », GeoJournal, Volume 81, Issue 1, pp. 103-122.
• FIAN Belgium, « Background information on the conflict in the Malen Chiefdom », Brussels, 2016.
• Green Scenery, "Spatial Monitoring Report on SOCFIN Agricultural Company Sierra Leone Ltd.", June 2017.
• Green Scenery, Oakland Institute, FIAN Belgium, "Introduction letter and first recommendations for a constructive process to solve the land conflict in Malen Chiefdom", August 2018.
• FIAN Belgium, "Land Grabbing for Palm Oil in Sierra Leone : Analysis of the SOCFIN Case from a Human Rights Perspective", February 2019, 84p. (Also available in French and Dutch) + Read SOCFIN’s response to the Report published by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (April 2019)
• SHERPA, "Le groupe Bolloré attrait en justice par des ONG: une action judiciaire inédite", communiqué de presse, 27/05/2019 - Also available in English - Dossier de presse en français
• FIAN Belgium, Focus on the Investigation Report on the Malen land dispute - Human rights analysis of the core elements (and omissions) for the conflict resolution process, March 2020

Grievances and complaints from local communities and NGO

• MALOA (Malen Land Owners and Users Association), « Grievances of land owners in Malen Chiefdom », 02 October 2011
• MALOA « Gross abuse of our fundamental Human Rights by the Paramount Chief and Chiefdom authorities of Malen Chiefdom », Complaint to the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, 1st December 2012.
• YASAC (Youths Affected by Socfin Agricultral Company), « 21 days ultimatum for Socfin managers », letter to the President of Sierra Leone, 2 June 2017.
• MAYODU, « An Immediate transfer of the General manager, M. Philip Thongs, SOCFIN Agricultural Company (SAC) Sahn Malen for not conducively working in the interest and benefits of the land owners, citizens and the employees of the company », June 4th, 2016.
• MALOA "Independent Investigation for Peaceful Resolution of Land Crisis in Malen", Letter to the Minister of Political and Public Affairs, 22nd July 2016.
• ALLAT (Action for Large-scale Land Acquisition), "Call for peaceful solution in Malen Chiefdom", Press release, 7th June 2017.
• MALOA, Letter to the President, Failure of the Malen Chiefdom land crisis mediation led by Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, 22 February 2022.
• MALOA, "Petition objecting to the RSPO certification of SOCFIN", 10 March 2022. See also Press release by Green Scenery, "Sierra Leone: 1,475 MALOA members sign petition objecting to the RSPO certification of SOCFIN"; Green Scenery, "MALOA’s Petition Objecting to the RSPO Certification of SOCFIN is not Unfounded", 25 May 2022.
• Land for Life, "Press Statement on the disagreement between members of the Malen Affected Land Owners Association (MALOA) and Socfin Agricultural Company (SAC) in relation to the RSPO Certification, the counter-report of the Pujehun District Multi-stakeholder Platform (DMSP) and the position of Land for Life Consortium", 18 May 2022.
• MALOA, "Response to SAC letter : Request of details of affected landowner members of your organization who claim they did not receive land compensation", 22nd October, 2022.

Criminalisation of land rights defenders

• Green Scenery, Eighteen Accused MALOA Members Discharge, Press release, 10 December 2020.
• ESCR-Net - International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, "Serious human rights violations against members of the Malen Affected Landowners and Users Association (MALOA)", Letter to the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, 4 March 2019.
• Sierra Leone Human Rights Organization Coalition, "Report of the fact finding mission on the Human Rights situation in Malen Chiefdom after the violent incidents in January 2019". Compiled by Human Rights Defenders in Sierra Leone. 29 January 2019, Disclosed at the Press Conference on 30 January 2019. Freetown.
• SiLNoRF, Green Scenery and al. « In Sierra Leone, Land rights defenders under attack », Press Statement, 23 January 2019. Freetown.
• The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, « Sierra Leone: Arbitrary detention and continued judicial harassment against several members of the Malen Land Owners and Users Association (MALOA) in three different criminal cases », February 9, 2016. https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/human-rights-defenders/sierra-leone-arbitrary-detention-and-continued-judicial-harassment (consulted 10/06/2017)
• FIAN Belgium, « Sierra Leone : Six défenseurs du droit à la terre libérés grâce à la solidarité citoyenne », Communiqué, 16 juin 2016. http://www.fian.be/Six-defenseurs-du-droit-a-la-terre-liberes-grace-a-la-solidarite-citoyenne?lang=fr (consulted 10/06/2017).
• Convergence Globale des Luttes pour la terre et l’eau (Afrique de l’Ouest), « Criminalisation des militants MALOA et conflit foncier à Malen », Lettre envoyée au Président de la République de Sierra Leone, Ouagadougou, 4 mars 2017.
• Ishmael Kindama Dumbuya, « Presidential Visit: Police prevent human Right Organization visiting Pujehun until after 8th April », April 4th, 2016. https://ishmaeldumbuya.wordpress.com/2016/04/04/police-prevent-human-right-organization-visiting-pujehun-until-after-8th-april/ (consulted 10/06/2017)
• Writ of summon of Socfin against Green Scenery and Oakland Institute.
• Judgement against MALOA 6, Bo High Court, February 4th 2016.
• MALOA position on the court judgement and the Malen Land issue
• Paramount Chief BVS Kebbie, "Incitement by some NGOs in Malen Chiefdom", Letter from the Paramount Chief to the District Council rejecting operations of 3 NGOs in Malen Chiefdom, 27th February 2017.
• MALOA "Information about a stakeholders meeting in Sahn Malen", September 2012. And refusal by the Chiefdom authorities, seeletter dated September 7th 2012.

UN and government documents

• Mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, "Letter to the President of Sierra Leone", 15 December 2015
• Human Rights Council, "Report of the Special Rapporteur on the implications for
  human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes on his mission to Sierra Leone", 11 September 2018, A/HRC/39/48/Add.1

Articles - media

• Press review on SOCFIN on farmlandgrab.org
• M. Eggen, « Contrer la propagande pro-agrobusiness du groupe Socfin », in Defi-Sud : La Belgique et l’Europe complices des accaparements de terres », SOS-Faim, Bruxelles, 2016. https://www.sosfaim.be/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/defis_sud_accaparement_socfin.pdf (consulted 10/06/2017).
• V. Schneider, « Palm oil profits trump self-sufficiency in Sierra Leone », Deutsche Welle, 29th september 2016. http://www.dw.com/en/palm-oil-profits-trump-self-sufficiency-in-sierra-leone/a-35917146 (consulted 10/06/2017)
• Awoko news, "21 days ultimatum for Socfin Managers", 2nd June 2017. https://www.farmlandgrab.org/post/view/27178-21-days-ultimatum-for-socfin-managers (consulted 10/06/2017).
• Deutsche Well, "The price of palm oil in Sierra Leone", 2017
• John Adune, As Media calls for Government Protection of Socfin: An Independent Writer reports on his findings in Malen Chiefdom and asked of whether citizens are worthy of Government Protection?, Standard Times Press, 21st November 2018, (consulted 06/12/2018)
• Joseph Rahall, The Blame Game and the Usual Criminalization of Green Scenery Starts Again: But how safe are Sierra Leoneans at the Hands of Transnational Corporations?, Standard Times Press, 23d November 2018, (consulted 06/12/2018)
• S. Conteh, How not to conduct Large-scale Agricultural Investments: Lessons from the Malen/Socfin Land dispute in Sierra Leone, Standard Times Press, 4th December 2018, (consulted 06/12/2018)
• NRC, "Een duimafdruk – en weg was het land van boer Musa Moriba", 21 October 2022 (consulted 25/10/2022).

General documentation

• Government of Sierra Leone, Report of the Technical Committee on the Malen Chiefdom land dispute in Pujehun District, submitted to the Honourable Vice President, September 2019
• Sierra Leone Agricultural Company (SAC), Sierra Leone, « Environmental and Social Due Diligence Assessment », July 2015.
• Memorandum of Understanding and Agreement signed on September 24th 2012 between the Government of Sierra Leone and SAC. It should be noted that this MoU specifying the respective obligations between SAC and the Government was signed more than 1,5 year after SOCFIN started its operations.
• Lease agreement (Zone A). Head Lease 2012 (between Government and Chiefdom authorities) and Sub-Lease 2012 (between Government and SOCFIN) - replacing first agreements for zone A: Head Lease 2011 (between Government and Chiefdom authorities) and Sub-Lease 2011 (between Government and SOCFIN)
• Lease agreement (Zone B). Sub-Lease 2013 (between Government and SOCFIN)
• First "Environmental, social and health impact assessment for the establishment of oil palm and rubber estates in the Malen region, Souther Sierra Leone", prepared on behalf of Socfin Agricultural Company (SAC), January 2011.