Advocates Redesign

Category: Uncategorized

  • LIBERIA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

    Notes from the Field: Liberian communities taking development into their own hands

    In late March 2021, Advocates for Community Alternatives (ACA) embarked on a field mission to rural Liberia to assess its programs, support partners, and build new collaborations. The findings were very encouraging: the partner communities are embracing community-driven development in a very remarkable way and are joyfully taking the initiative to remake their communities according to their own vision.

    These field  visits took place between March 20th and 31st, 2021 in Lofa county: a region in Liberia well known for producing rice. Focus was laid on communities which were undergoing the Facilitated Collective Action Process (FCAP) activities. The primary purpose of the visit was to assess the performance of the communities on the overall FCAP projects in the Wologizi Mountain communities, provide support and guidance to implementing partners on how to maintain good FCAP practices and build effective working relationships with them. This visit provided ACA with a unique opportunity to know the real impacts of the projects and the challenges therein.

    The ACA team embarked on a capability building training for implementing partners on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (M&EL) as well as on the use of Microsoft Excel. The desire to put in place systems that guarantee efficiency and improve the skills of participants necessitated these training sessions. At the end of the sessions with the implementing partners, a debriefing session was held to discuss the challenges that were encountered and propose solutions on how to tackle them.

    ACA through Village Development Fund (VDF) and Green Advocates International (GAI) support four communities Karzah, Kpademai, Wobeyimeh and Betibah in Wologizi mountain in Lofa County. Although all the communities are making encouraging efforts to improve their communities through the FCAP process, it is worth sharing that, “Wobeyimeh”, one of the smallest communities that developed its vision to be a community with modern houses, has proven that words are powerful when supported with actions. It was observed that the community had built a community center with a sitting capacity of about 400 people which serves as a meeting place for everyone during community decision-making. It is also worth mentioning that Wobeyimeh, has gone further to build cement houses with painted and glass windows as a fulfilment of their vision.  The community’s next objective is to build a rice factory which will aid in the processing of the harvested rice through the FCAP Microgrant.                                

    The team then moved on to Margibi County. Popularly known for its rubber plantation, Margibi has the communities of Dokai, Jorkporlorsue, Bloume and Kolleh-Dapolo under its jurisdiction. The main objective for this visit was to assist in strengthening women to become economically independent and to be empowered on how to resist sexual violence. For this reason, ACA has advanced plans and has started carrying out baseline community assessment together with community leaders.

    (Wobeyimeh Community rice factory project  under construction)
    (Notes from Kpademai Planning phase)
    (Karzah in FCAP meeting discussing among peers )
    (A visit to Betibah community rice farm)
    Meeting with  some women in SRC Communities.

  • LAND ENCROACHMENT

    LAND ENCROACHMENT AT JUASO, NWOASE, AND DONKRO NKWANTA.

    Advocates for Community Alternatives(ACA)  partner communities in Ghana are facing land challenges by powerful actors such as mining companies and traditional authorities. They are, however, mounting a courageous resistance to the land challenge using a number of strategies.

    Juaso

    Kibi Goldfields Ltd. (KGL) operates a gold mine in the Juaso community in the Eastern Region of Ghana. 

    BSD, a subsidiary of Kibi Goldfields, has  mined  2 feet away from the stream which is identified to be a buffer zone and against the law. In March 2021, the natives in the community noticed that  Kibi Goldfields had intentions of carrying out their mining activities in the stream which is their source of water for domestic use.

    The community, realizing that mining in a watercourse could affect their health, decided to protest against the company.They gathered at the company premises clothed in red attires to show their displeasure and make their voices heard. This forced the company to withdraw from the illegal project.

    Just a month after ceasing operations in the stream, Kibi Goldfields entered another part of the community, popularly referred to as “Old Cemetery,” and cleared approximately 17.5 acres of farmland to extend their mining activities. Once again, their activities were illegal because they failed to seek permission from the landowners

    The natives of Kibi, reported to the District Chief Executive (DCE) and the District Police Commander and made their grievances known to them. The DCE intervened, and the company ceased its operations in the Old Cemetery area. 

    In April 2021, KGL extended operations to another piece of land at the outskirts of the community. Unfortunately, they also chose to clear roads through the villagers’ cocoa plantations to access their new mining site. In constructing the roads, some cocoa trees were destroyed without prior notice or compensation to the farm owners. Instead,the company only reached out to the community to call them for negotiations over compensation after cutting the trees.  This is a clear violation of Regulation 14 of the Minerals and Mining (Compensation And Resettlement) Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2175).

    Nwoase

    Offspring of settlers from the northern region of Ghana have been living peacefully and farming for years alongside the indigenous population in the village of Nwaose, in the Bono East Region.  The Nwoase’s traditional chief,Atekoanohene, has however, upset both settlers and indigenes, for which he sold  nearly all the village’s farmland to outsiders. The  villagers are losing their lands in which they have cultivated household crops and watermelons(main source of income) to another traditional ruler. Their cashew plantation lands have also been sold off to a group of soldiers.

    Even though the chief’s unethical actions affected both settlers and indigenes, the settlers, also tenant farmers, are hurt deeply as they have nowhere else to go. This is because they did not keep ties with their ancestors’ original communities, and have always carried out their duties to the Atekoanohene as subjects of the stool.

    This is not the first time that the Atekoahene has placed his own financial gain over the good of the residents of Nwoase.  In past years, he has demanded tribute of goats for the privilege of continuing to farm the land or even for rearing animals within the village.  He extorts hundreds of cedis from residents before allowing them to bury their deceased on village land and forbids them from growing crops with germination periods of longer than three months.  Earlier this year, the chief struck back against the farmers’ decision to continue farming their land.  Announcing that he would “replace the people with cattle,” he signed a deal with local ‘Fulani’ herders, inviting them to bring cows to graze on community farmland and even within the confines of the village itself.

    The people believe their chief is engaging in human right violations by depriving them of their right to livelihood, as well as violating his constitutional duties to administer the land for the benefit of the subjects of the stool.

    Most recently, the land caretaker, who sold land to the soldiers, cut down cashew trees on another piece of land  and replanted new cashews.  The community has complained to Ghana’s Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice and is awaiting the Commission’s recommendations.

    Donkro Nkwanta

    The community of Donkro Nkwanta is located in the Nkoranza South District of the Bono East Region, adjacent to Nwoase.  About ten years ago, the people of Donkro Nkwanta successfully led a coalition of three other neighboring communities to reject the expansion of industrial gold extraction by U.S. mining giant Newmont. The residents remain united against any form of mining in the future.

    This resolution, however, is now being tested, as the Nkoranzahemaa, the Queen Mother currently exercising traditional authority over the Nkoranza Paramount Chieftancy, has sold land belonging to Donkro Nkwanta to AnnG Farms, purportedly for the cultivation of cash crops.  Although the people and king of Donkro Nkwanta have protested strongly, AnnG has already destroyed several acres of cashew trees belonging to community farmers.

    Community members, fearing that the land will actually be used for mining, have taken their concerns to the Nkoranza South Municipal Security Committee, which recommended that the Donkro Nkwanta land be returned to its original owners.  The community continues to stand firm with their king to insist that their right to land ownership should be respected.

    (The Juaso stream after the illegal mining activities)
    (A cleared piece of land in Juaso used by Kibi Goldfields two metres from the stream)
    (BSD, a subsidiary of Kibi Gol(dfields mining two metres away from the Juaso stream)
    (cocoa trees cut down by Kibi Goldfields at the Old Cemetery area)
    (road created by Kibi Goldfields through individual cocoa farms at Old Cemetery)

  • CICONET TRAINING

    CICONET UNDERGOES CONFIDENCE BUILDING TRAINING

    It is a bright Wednesday morning with the sun’s rays glimmering in Segyimase, a small community within the Abuakwa South Municipality. Famous for its gold, Osino, capital of Fanteakwa South District is a town located in the Eastern Region of Ghana along the Accra-Kumasi highway and home to the people of Juaso and Nsuapemso. 19 May 2021 marks another eventful day for the people of these three communities. The people of Segyimase, Nsuapemso and Juaso have gathered for their monthly Citizen Committee Network (CiCoNet) meeting at the Methodist Church of Segyimase. The strong desire to develop their communities has brought together this group of determined people to deliberate on how to improve on their livelihood.

    The main objective of CiCoNet is to build the capacities of 60 members from these three communities who would serve as intermediates and whose duty is to help advocate on behalf of communities to see development happening within their communities. Through these meetings, these members would be empowered and acquire knowledge and skills on how to address issues pertaining to the development of their communities, and how to present situations to their local governments when need be. Cognizant of the fact that they cannot rely completely on the Government or Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) for their survival, they have taken this bold step to harness the potential of their communities for progress and development. 

    Like all other meetings, they began by reminding themselves of their vision, mission and goals which they had initially developed. This reminder instills in them the strong desire to succeed and propels them towards working hard in achieving their goals. It is also a way of prompting them about their various roles and responsibilities in developing their community.

    Figure 1: CICONet members participating in confidence building exercise.

    Today’s session which recorded a total of 47 participants, focused on building self-confidence. Participants were engaged in confidence building activities, experience sharing and learning. They were divided into groups and given a task to carry out. To encourage participation, each participant presented the roles they played in ensuring that the exercise was completed. Each group chose a group representative who did the main presentation. Groups graded themselves based on their confidence levels. They also identified the challenges they faced and what they could have done better if they had a second chance.

    Figure 2: Presentation of results by a group member

    Participants were then given another opportunity to undertake the same activity and were asked to grade themselves again. It was observed,that the level of confidence of participants had improved. 

    When queried about what had changed, most participants attributed their improvement to the lessons learnt from the first trial and the desire to get better. Some referred to the slogan “Experience is the best teacher.”

    After the exercise, participants were then taken through a talk by the Community Development Officer of ACA, Nana Ama. While making reference to the exercise they just completed, she explained to them the importance of building self-confidence and different ways in which it could be done. She concluded by encouraging them to assist each other as much as possible in this path. 

    Giving his impressions about the meeting, George Owusu Asante, Chairman of CICONet stated: “Today’s meeting has encouraged us to be bold and courageous. It has made us to feel more confident and has taught us about unity and love. Now, we have the courage to approach the authorities and present our problems.”

    It is therefore very important for these communities to be aware of their rights as well as their roles and responsibilities and the need to hold their local authorities accountable, while honoring their responsibilities. This is a major step in ensuring responsiveness, mutual accountability and sustainable development.

  • Compensation Training at Juaso

     ACA Legal Team Educates Juaso Victims on Mining Compensation Procedures as the Community’s Fight for Survival Continues.

    The community of Juaso seem to be re-living one of their worst nightmares. Within the past few years, most of them have lost an immeasurable number of resources due to mining activities being carried out in the area by Kibi Goldfields Limited (KGL). Farmers have lost large tracts of land, depriving them of their major sources of income with little or no compensation. Many families have lost a greater part of their heritage to these miners. As a result, community members have become disillusioned as their complaints to local authorities to halt the menace and for compensations to be made, seem to be falling on deaf ears.

    Figure SEQ Figure |* ARABIC 1: A cross section of Juaso Community members

    Farmlands that were once fertile grounds for food crops have now been replaced by stony roads. The indigenes complain of the use of the military to intimidate them into accepting the conditions laid out to them. Community members reckon that they woke up one morning to the realization that activities such as cutting down of trees had been going on at night while they were asleep. Some attest to being told by KGL that the activities were carried out at night because they were conscious of the fact that the community would not approve of them.

    KGL has been granted the permit by the government to mine in the area but have failed to follow proper consultation processes with the community and have also ignored the statutory compensation procedures according to Ghanaian law, thereby providing either meagre compensations or nothing at all to affected victims

    It is saddening knowing that these people are being deprived of their major source of livelihood without proper compensation. As part of Advocates for Community Alternatives’ (ACA) role in ensuring that these communities sustain their livelihood, a partnership was formed with Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL). The goal of this partnership is to guide communities like Juaso to make informed decisions and take actions regarding issues related to mining and its impact on the community.

    To that effect, the Executive Director of ACA, Jonathan Kaufman paid a visit to Juaso on Friday 21 May 2021 to have a clearer picture of the situation and to educate the people on their rights with respect to compensations. During the interactions, he clearly explained the legalities surrounding compensations with regards to areas affected by mining enshrined in the laws of Ghana. Mr. Kaufman also highlighted the fact that some of these laws were not in alignment with international laws.


    Figure 3: ACA team interacting with some community members.

    He educated the community on those areas which were excluded from mining procedures (forest reserves, water bodies) and those which were not (fields, homes, schools, roads). This was aimed at creating awareness on the long-term consequences these activities might have on them if proper measures were not taken. 

    The ACA team accompanied by four community members also visited the site to enhance the knowledge of the community on how compensation plans work. This included Francis, a 42-year-old farmer who had been greatly affected by these mining activities. Based on what he had lost, and with the guidance of a compensation template, the group was able to develop an estimate of what his compensation ought to have looked like. The difference in the methods of compensation plans per company was also taken into consideration. Community members felt cheated by the revelations of the findings. A template was provided to aid the community calculate the value of what they had lost.

    It is worth noting that the initial mining site on which KGL was carrying out its activities had been abandoned in search of a new site. The big question here is “Is KGL giving the community members their rightful due after the destruction being caused?” 

    These and other thought-provoking questions are the drivers that prompt ACA to join forces with the community in seeking possible solutions towards ensuring that the people of Juaso are adequately compensated by these mining companies.

  • ACA Supports COVID-19 Prevention in Nkoranza South

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    As Ghana – like the rest of the world – comes to grip with the COVID-19 pandemic, ACA is doing its part to help our partner communities in Nkoranza South prepare for impact. 

    In partnership with the Nkoranza South Municipal Health Directorate, we have supported the training fifty (50) community health volunteers on the origin and symptoms of COVID-19, and the measures that communities can take to stop the spread of the virus.  These volunteers, who include several members of the Citizens Committee Network (CICONet) that ACA organized to form an interface between communities and local authorities, will educate the communities through the village public address system, help the Municipal Health Directorate identify people who enter the communities and target them for screening, and help with contact tracing if community members are found to be infected with the COVID-19 virus.

    ACA has also set up and is assuring the equipment and maintenance of twenty hand-washing stations in Donkro Nkwanta, Kyeredeso, Nwoase, and Salamkrom as a first-line measure for preventing the spread of the virus. Items donated include Veronica buckets, wooden stands, soap, and hand washing bowls.

    Despite limitations on public gatherings during the pandemic, all of ACA’s assistance and interventions are the product of consultation and direction from community leaders, public health experts, and – as much as possible – the population of the communities.

    “We are very grateful to ACA for all the support given to us; we have benefited from the Facilitated Collective Action Process (FCAP) as well as legal services and now preventive equipment for COVID-19,” says Nana Kwabena Otoo, the Caretaker Chief of Nwoase Village.

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  • Kyeradeso Community inaugurates health clinic as culmination of ACA-led community mobilization

  • Italian energy superpower ENI and Nigerian community reach historic agreement to mitigate chronic flooding of village

    Joint Press Release

    Port Harcourt, Benin City, Accra, Rome, Paris – 8 October 2019 — After years of battle, residents of the community of Aggah in Rivers State, Nigeria, finally have hope for relief from the floods that have plagued them for five decades, thanks to a ground-breaking agreement with Italian energy company ENI S.p.a published on 2 October 2019. A community association, Egbema Voice of Freedom (EVF), and its representatives, Advocates for Community Alternatives (ACA) and Chima Williams & Associates (CWA), had filed a complaint against ENI in front of Italy’s OECD National Contact Point on 15 December 2019, with the support of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).

    The complaint stressed the devastating impacts the flooding had on the health, property, livelihoods and environment of the Aggah community. It was submitted under the OECD Guidelines, which establish international standards of corporate conduct to which Italy and its corporations are committed. In a rare successful case before an OECD National Contact Point (NCP), the agreement addresses the essential concern of the complainants, i.e. the urgent construction of drainage solutions to mitigate the flooding and a potential resort to a technical expert if more efforts are needed.

    “We are celebrating this news in Aggah.  The agreement is an achievement that follows years of battle to get ENI and its subsidiary NAOC to act to resolve the flooding they have created. We remain however vigilant on how the company and its Nigerian subsidiary will implement the agreement,” affirmed Pastor Evaristus Nicholas, spokesperson for Egbema Voice of Freedom.

    “The community had been asking NAOC, ENI Nigerian subsidiary, to fix the flooding problem for years, but to no avail,” said Jonathan Kaufman, Executive Director of ACA.  “The game changed when we went to Italy on the basis of the OECD Guidelines, which apply to all Italian companies, and asked ENI to take responsibility for what was happening on the ground in Aggah.”

    ENI has drilled for oil in and around the town of Aggah since the 1960s. The complaint alleges that the company built elevated roadways, embankments and platforms that completely block natural streams that used to flow through Aggah, causing violent annual flooding of large swathes of farmland and residential areas since 1970. According to a survey of over two thousand Aggah residents, 90% of households have lost agricultural products while over 65% reported severe health problems as a result of the flooding. Several people have drowned in the floodwaters – including one villager who died just last month. Floods also destroy sewage systems, resulting in vast pollution and harm to the ecosystem.

    “This is particularly positive news. First, because the community’s central demand is finally acknowledged by ENI. Second, because successful cases for victims before the OECD complaint mechanism are extremely rare. This is the result of a relentless and joint effort by the community, advocates and NGOs to get the company to act,” said Giacomo Cremonesi, Italian lawyer and FIDH representative in the procedure before the Italian NCP.

    After the complaint was deemed admissible, the Italian NCP opened a mediation procedure between the parties in the presence of a third-party Conciliator; the process led to an agreement that was made public on Wednesday 2 October 2019. The terms of settlement provide for the urgent construction of new culverts/drainage channels and maintenance and management of the existing ones to avoid flooding. It also indicates the verification of the impact of those measures in the presence of a technical expert, to determine whether further action should be taken. NAOC’s surveyors have already entered the community to determine the setting of any new construction.

    “This success story shows that it is possible, when victims properly coordinate with their advocates and present their cases with strong evidentiary backing, and when the NCP does its job to make companies – no matter how mighty –  listen and act accordingly. This further underscores the benefits of following due process and the rule of law rather than the rule of self help,” said Prince Chima Williams of CWA, the Nigerian law firm representing the complainant (EVF).

    Press contacts:

    Advocates for Community Alternatives (ACA)

    Jonathan Kaufman: jonathan@advocatesforalternatives.org   +233 55 555 0377

    International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
    Sacha Feierabend:     sfeierabend@fidh.net   +33 6 85 12 24 53

    Chima Williams & Associates (CWA)
    Prince Chima Williams:     princewchima@yahoo.co.uk; +2348023649890.

    Egbema Voice of Freedom (EVF)
    Pastor Nicholas Evaristus:     royalgraceassembly_evarist@yahoo.com; +2348064329322.

    Aggah-Eni Terms of SettlementDownload

  • Sierra Leone Villagers Seek Mining Justice at ECOWAS Court

    29 August 2019 – The government of Sierra Leone shot and beat protesters and helped a mining company pollute and unjustly grab traditional lands, according to a human rights lawsuit filed by residents of Koidu, Sierra Leone at the ECOWAS Court of Justice.  The plaintiffs are asking for proper relocation, enforcement of the Mining Lease Agreement between the government and mining company, investigation of incidents of violence in 2007 and 2012, and compensation for their suffering and losses.

    Many Koidu residents live in the shadow of the immense waste dump of a diamond mine operated by the Octea Group. These individuals have been awaiting relocation for over a decade, with no end in sight. The proximity of the mine to their homes means mining activities have disrupted their livelihoods and access to basic living necessities. Explosions from the mine have sent rubble flying onto their farmland and crashing through their roofs. With support from the State, the company has diverted water onto their land, flooding it. Women who previously farmed small plots have lost that land and are now reduced to taking rocks from the company’s giant rubble pile and breaking them into gravel to sell to construction crews. “This back-breaking work is ruining my health, but what choice do I have?” complained Aminata Bangura, leader of the cooperative of women stone-breakers. “I can barely make enough to feed my kids, but I don’t have land to grow food for them anymore.”

    Madam Kumba King, Tankoro Queen Mother and representative of the Marginalized Affected Property Owners Association, lamented the destruction of their community. “We used to farm and live in peace, but now our lands and water sources are poisoned and covered in rubble. Our homes are shaken by explosives every day.” Tremors from blasting cracks residents’ walls and collapses their ceilings. Throughout the community, those who once had ready access to well water now find their wells dry during the dry season because the mine has disturbed the water table.

    Despite the residents’ complaints, the government has failed in its legal obligation to ensure the relocation of these individuals and the proper replacement of their land and homes. Even those that have received relocation report that the resettlement site lacks basic living essentials.  Their new houses are smaller than their old homes and have already started crumbling after just a matter of months due to poor construction.

    The complaint further alleges that the Sierra Leone repeatedly committed unjustified violence against demonstrators in Koidu.  According to several witnesses, police officers used firearms to disperse peaceful protesters, resulting in two deaths and several grave injuries in 2007 and again in 2012. After the shooting in December 2007, the government created the Jenkins-Johnston Commission of Inquiry, which found the government and the company to be jointly responsible for the violence and recommended important police reforms. Although the government officially accepted these proposals, it failed to implement any of them, and violence struck again in December 2012. For both incidents, the government did not hold any security officers responsible, nor did it provide assistance to the victims and their family members, who continue to wait for justice to this day. The community is represented by a consortium of West African lawyers from the Public Interest Lawyering Initiative for West Africa (PILIWA), as well as C&J Partners of Makeni, Sierra Leone.

    Koidu ECOWAS ComplaintDownload

  • Donkro Nkwanta Communities near completion of their projects

    In no time, the communities shall be decked with many different projects that come together to fulfill the ultimate visions of Donkro Nkwanta communities. The communities began the Facilitated Collective Action Process (FCAP) in April 2017 with eight to ten months of planning, and they will soon complete the implementation phase where they have prioritized various goals and pathways.

    In 2011, Donkro Nkwanta and its three neighboring communities made history after fighting and successfully stopping a mining activity that was to take place on their fields by a gigantic American gold mining company, Newmont. The communities resisted with a vision for a livelihood that could be beneficial to many generations. If the company had succeeded in their quest, the communities would have lost the pride of being the highest maize producers in the Municipality providing communities full of poverty, sicknesses and extreme hunger.

    Five years after the communities’ fight with the mining company, ACA began working with them; residents in Salamkrom, Kyeradeso, Donkro Nkwanta and Nwoase were worried that the company would return. Poverty and internal wrangling had sapped their strength to resist.

    However, through FCAP, communities have come together to define their goals and determined how best to achieve them. ACA has so far committed a total amount of USD 45,000.00 to support these four communities on various projects.

    Kyeradeso received a microgrant of USD 9,000 to build a Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound to improve the health of their community and others within the health zone. Similarly, Salamkrom also sought to improve health by building a nurses’ quarters to support the already active nurses in their clinic who have no place to lay their heads with USD 9,000.00. Nwoase also received the same amount to construct a five-bedroom house for their teachers who have been posted to the community to teach in order to improve education. And finally, the biggest community Donkro Nkwanta received double the amount of the microgrants (USD 18,000) to build a community center to help them continually meet and take vital development decisions, as well as to hire out and generate additional income for the community to implement other goals of the community in the near future.

    Below are pictures of the ongoing projects.

  • Guinée : Zoghota à l’honneur (Guinea: Zoghota honored)

    Français

    Notre ami Me Pépé Antoine Lama est un jeune avocat Guinéen, membre de de l’ONG « les Mêmes Droits pour Tous », membre du réseau PILIWA, avocat accompagnant les victimes du massacre de Zoghota devant les juridictions nationales et la Cour de Justice de la CEDEAO.

    Il a remporté le premier prix du concours international de plaidoiries pour les droits de l’homme organisé en Mauritanie par l’Institut international des droits de l’homme et de la paix le 5 décembre 2018. Ce concours a vu la participation de huit candidats venus de la Mauritanie, l’Algérie, le Canada et la Guinée.

    Il a consacré sa plaidoirie sur le massacre de Zoghota afin de porter non seulement la voix des victimes hors des frontières de la Guinée, mais aussi inciter les autorités guinéennes à mener des enquêtes effectives et indépendantes sur les évènements malheureux de Zoghota « Mon objectif en choisissant le cas de Zoghota est que justice soit rendue aux victimes du massacre de Zoghota et que les responsables puissent répondre de leurs actes » dit Me Pépé Antoine Lama.

    English

    Our friend Mr. Pépé Antoine Lama is a young Guinean lawyer accompanying the victims of the Zoghota massacre before the national courts and the ECOWAS Court of Justice. He is also a member of the NGO “Les Mêmes Droits pour Tous” and a member of the PILIWA network.

    He won first prize in the International Human Rights Moot Court Competition organized in Mauritania by the International Institute for Human Rights and Peace on December 5, 2018. This competition was attended by eight candidates from Mauritania, Algeria, Canada and Guinea.

    He devoted his speech to the massacre of Zoghota to carry not only the voices of the victims beyond the borders of Guinea, but also to incite the Guinean authorities to carry out effective and independent investigations on the unfortunate events of Zoghota. “My objective in choosing Zoghota’s case is that justice is done to the victims of the Zoghota massacre, and that those responsible can answer for their actions,” says Mr. Pépé Antoine Lama.