Sinds maandag zijn boeren uit het Office du Niger gebied in Mali in
actie tegen landroof. Ondanks de staat van beleg hebben zij een stuk
land gekraakt van de verantwoordelijke grote Malinese investeerder.
Vorig jaar hadden wij boeren vakbondsleider Traoré Bakary op bezoek in
Amsterdam die verslag deed van de strijd:
http://www.allincluded.nl/posts/verslag-presentatie-traore-bakary-landroof-mali/.
Hier tevens een video-verslag van de Journée de réflexion Saou et
Sanamadougou 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81rA6Triu64
Press release of Afrique-Europe-Interact
www.afrique-europe-interact.net
18.04.2016: Protest of the two villages Sanamadougou and Sahou (Mali)
against landgrabbing +++ The responsible investor has received loans
from – among others – the African Development Bank +++ The German
government was in this and other cases misled with explicit false
information +++
Landgrabbing is one of the most controversial topics of the Malian
politics. But the case of the two villages Sanamadougou and Sahou in the
Office du Niger is probably one of the most scandalous ones: Since 2010
the Malian investor Modibo Keita has appropriated a bigger part of the
agricultural land of the two villages. Officially Modibo Keita has
concluded a contract with the Malian state over the land. But the land,
which is only roughly outlined in the contract does obviously not
comprise the land of Sanamadougou and Sahou (which among
other things becomes clear on the basis of the irrigation canal
mentioned in the contract).
Despite these evident contradictions the African Development Bank has
granted Modibo Keita a loan of 16,8 million euro in september 2014. It
is remarkable that it was one of the credit covenants that no juridicial
procedures are pending concerning Sanamadougou and Sahou and that the
families affected had received compensation (the German government has
played a central role concerning the conclusion of these terms.) Modibo
Keita has confirmed both, but both is not correct as
Afrique-Europe-Interact could demonstrate together with the villagers.
Because the fact is that a trial, which started in february 2012 is
interrupted since the end of 2012 – although the court has ordered on
20th of december 2012 by decision that an assessor shall be appointed
for the clarification of the matter. In addition money was payed only to
single persons, but not to the respective heads of the households;
therefore no deeds of assignment concerning the land are available.
Sanamadougou and Sahou have in the past years again and again caused a
sensation nationally and internationally. Not only did the renowned
Oakland-Institute in the US present the case in a report on landgrabbing
in Mali, there is also a long report from the human rights organisation
FIAN International. In Mali the case was controversially discussed in
parliament on the 2nd of july 2015; inaddition the farmers affected have
written countless letters and have conducted numerous actions. However,
nothing has happened until today.
It is against this background that this morning (18th of april 2016) the
two villages have started with a field occupation right next to Sahou –
claiming the immediate restitution of the complete land before the
beginning of the harvest season 2016/2017. They are supported on the one
hand by several neighboring villages from the region Sansanding as well
as the peasant grass-root union COPON (Coordination of the farmers in
the Office du Niger). On the other hand the transnational network
Afrique-Europe-Interact is actively supporting the protests, accordingly
about 40 activists from Bamako are on site together with numerous media
representatives. Furthermore, Afrique-
Europe-Interact has written an open letter to the Malian president, the
African Development bank and the German government. In this letter the
central information is documented in summary – including the mentioned
court decision of 20th of december 2012. The letter is available in
three languages:
German: http://afrique-europe-interact.net/1432-0-Antwortbrief-an-BMZ.html
English: http://afrique-europe-interact.net/1438-2-Lettre-au-Prsident-
IBK.html?article_id=1438&clang=1
French: http://afrique-europe-interact.net/1438-2-Lettre-au-Prsident-
IBK.html?article_id=1438&clang=2
Afrique-Europe-Interact calls upon the international public to seek
exchange with the Malian authorities and the African Development Bank.
Because it should not be that on the one hand Europe demands the
struggle against the causes of flight and on the other hand several
thousands of farmers in villages like Sanamadougou and Sahou are
dispossessed of their means of existence (while the German government
has been misled with verifiable false information). In this context we
explicitly want to point at another case of landgrabbing in the region
Siengo Extension, concerning which Afrique-Europe-Interact has also
written an extensive statement to the German and Malian authorities.
Because Siengo Extension is also therefore juicy, because here corrupt
appropriation of land by governmental officials has taken place in a
project financed with means of the German development cooperation. The
correspondent letters in German and French are available on the
website of the network as well.
--
All Included
Plantage Doklaan 12
1018 CM Amsterdam
tel. +31 20 3795236
http://www.allincluded.nl/
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