Advocates Redesign

Category: Liberia

  • IFC Plays Pontius Pilate, Dodges Accountability for Harmful Rubber Project in Liberia after Six Years

    In 2019, 22 communities in Liberia filed a complaint with the World Bank Group’s Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), accusing the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of fueling abuse and environmental destruction through a loan to the Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC). That loan helped SRC expand its rubber plantations—with devastating consequences.

    Nearly six years on, in March 2025, the CAO published its damning findings: the IFC failed to follow its own safeguards, enabling widespread harm to land rights, community health, and cultural heritage. Women suffered, with disturbing reports of sexual exploitation by SRC contractors who demanded sex in exchange for jobs or wages.

    But rather than take full responsibility, IFC Management responded with a weak action plan that – aside from a livelihoods fund that should provide some welcome livelihoods support to the impoverished populations of plantation-adjacent communities – leans on voluntary reforms by SRC’s former owner, Socfin, and its new buyer, Jeety.  Civil society groups say this move amounts to passing the buck.

    “The CAO has validated the long-standing concerns expressed by local communities: that the International Finance Corporation (IFC) not only overlooked critical issues but also allowed its client to illegally seize land, contaminate vital water sources, and perpetuate various forms of violence and abuse,” stated Alfred Lahai Gabbai Brownell Sr., a lawyer representing the 22 affected communities and the winner of the 2019 Goldman Prize for Africa. “Now, the IFC is playing Pontius Pilate, washing its hands, asserting that it is powerless to take any corrective measures merely because the loan has been repaid. This is not a demonstration of accountability; rather, it constitutes a profound abandonment of responsibility towards those impacted.”

    The communities’ complaint details how SRC’s expansion left entire villages landless, razed crops without compensation, and disregarded ancestral land claims. Toxic chemicals leached into waterways. Women faced systemic sexual violence. And throughout, IFC continued to finance the project, despite knowing SRC lacked the capacity—or will—to protect people or the environment.

    The CAO agreed with almost all of the communities’ claims and urged IFC to commit to real remediation. But because the CAO can only make recommendations, it’s up to IFC Management to act—and so far, its response falls short.

    Key concerns with IFC’s response include:

    No accountability for land rights violations: IFC refuses to examine whether the plantation was built on land the government had no right to give away.

    No proper analysis of Indigenous identity: IFC sidestepped the question of whether the affected Kpelle communities are Indigenous, citing generalizations rather than facts on the ground despite an abundance of expert testimonies and very strong recommendations from the CAO.

    A shameful and diluted compensation plan: IFC proposes to create a livelihood fund that is spread across all surrounding communities—not just the 22 complainant villages—potentially weakening the communities’ support network and failing to address specific harms.

    Shrugging off responsibility: IFC claims it has no leverage since the loan was repaid and the plantation was sold. But the CAO clearly states IFC could have, and still might, use legal remedies to demand accountability from SRC.

    Delaying action: Claiming that the security situation in the communities is too unpredictable, IFC management has declared that the implementation of its assistance plan will be delayed until an undetermined date in the future.

    While we welcome the CAO’s clear and courageous findings—and hope the livelihoods fund offers some relief—we reject IFC’s decision to wash its hands, and walk away from the communities it helped harm. The burden of fixing this mess should not rest on the goodwill of private plantation owners. IFC must step up, accept responsibility, and ensure the communities finally get justice.

    The Affected Indigenous Communities are shocked and overwhelmed by their frustration and condemnation of the IFC and those voices are captured in this press statement as follows:

    Ma. Mattia Gbar, Chairlady, Martin Village: “We depend on our land and forest for everything, fishing, making farm, medicine for treatment when we are sick, and other activities, but since SRC took our land, everything is hard for us. So, why will they say we are not traditional people? Let them pay for everything they did to us.”

    Yeagbamah National Congress for Human Rights, a victim of SGBV, name withheld for her protection: “I and other women were asked for sex just to get or keep a job with the company. This is not just unfair—it is violence. It can hurt women and keep them afraid and silent. The IFC’s action plan talks about protecting people and fixing harm, but what about the women who suffered this violence and abuse? We want to see real action, not just promises. The IFC and the company must make sure this never happens again and that we women get justice. Respect for women must be part of the solution, said, SGBV victim from SRC.”

    Mr. James Gorgbor, Elder, Gorgbor Town: “Look, I have always said that IFC supported SRC to kill us on our own land. I worked for SRC for so many years until I fell sick, and the management left me on sick bed and paid me off without any benefit.  They took 95% of my land and destroyed all of the rubber I planned for my children. Their Management Action Plan is beating around the bush. What I can say is, let them pay for our crops according to the COA Compliance Report, because we don’t know who will implement the Management Action Plan.”

    David Shiffa, Elder, Shiffa Molley Villiage: Let IFC pay for all the harms. One thing I can say is we are traditional people and if IFC do not believe that, I think they should bring someone to check on the way we are living. We have lived here for so long practicing our culture, and we believe in our tradition.”

    Ma. Quetta George, Chairlady, Doakai Town: “The thing SRC did to us with this IFC money is not good. The company took the money and came on our land and cut our rubber down and planned their rubber. Today some of our rubber is among their rubbers and they’re tapping it. They did not pay for our rubbers, and they also destroyed our town. The CAO report says they must pay for it, they made a plan for the report, and who will work with the plan, because SRC is going, and Jeety says he bought the plantation.” So, let IFC pay for all our things the company spoiled and give our land back.”

    Pastor. Melton Gweh, Elder, Gleebah Town: “IFC told us that, since 2020 they have no contract with SRC, and the COA report says that IFC should work with SRC to address our complaint. IFC has come up with a Management Action Plan, who will implement the plan since SRC is going? We are calling on the IFC to be the ones to implement the plan in line with CAO recommendations.t”

    Equally disturbed and deeply betrayed by the IFC’s inadequate actions are also the leadership of the supporting organizations that tried to work with the IFC to resolve the violent abuses perpetrated by the IFC client. Those voices are also captured below:

    Francis Colee, Head of Program and Acting Director at Green Advocates International “While we can thank the IFC management for some of the actions they have taken to assist the victims in the Management Action Plan (MAP), it is disappointing that the IFC greatly undermined the victims’ ability to receive real benefits for the harm they suffered because of the IFC’s failure to effectively apply its own definition of Indigenous peoples, as clearly and succinctly provided in the IFC Performance Standards. This makes the IFC complicit in the harm these people suffered.”, Francis Colee, Head of Program and Acting Director at Green Advocates International

    Paul Larry George, Chairman, of Alliance for Rural Democracy (ARD): “I welcome the recommendations and findings of the CAO report and believe that the recommendations and findings are evidence of the voices and struggles of affected communities, who have long demanded justice for the harm caused by the IFC’s financing of SRC’s operations. I am deeply troubled that, despite overwhelming evidence of abuse, SRC has chosen to neglect responsibility for the damages caused by allegedly divesting the company to an Indian businessman Jetty, whom we believe will not uphold or take full accountability for implementing the IFC so-called MAP”.

    Windor B.K. Smith, Head of Secretariat, Alliance for Rural Democracy (ARD), “I believe that, IFC is hiding under the escape tactic of SRC to neglect its responsibility to the affected communities. I am calling on the IFC and its client, SRC, to take full responsibility for the harm caused to the lives of Indigenous communities and fully respond to the concrete recommendations and findings in the CAO report. True accountability requires more than a repaid loan that IFC speaks of. It requires compensation, recognition of Indigenous rights, and a clear plan for remediation. The ARD is very disappointed with the IFC MAP and is calling on the IFC to honor the CAO’s recommendations, work directly with the impacted communities, and ensure that justice is not delayed or denied.”

    Abraham N. Kamara, Chairman, Yeabamah National Congress for Human Rights (YNCHR): “I am calling on the IFC to take full responsibility of the harm done to us as Indigenous Communities. The Management Action Plan released by the IFC, does not address the complete recommendations proposed by the CAO, and we think this is unfair to us, because I have advocated for so long that I am now disabled from the blindness I suffered when the state and SRC security forces arrested me and sprayed a tear gas canister directly into my eyes.”

    Veronica B. Gray, Acting Head of Secretariat, Natural Resources Women Platform (NRWP), “The CAO report confirms what women in affected communities have been saying for years—we have lost land, our environment is damaged, and women have faced threats, harassment, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) without protection or justice. These are not isolated incidents; they are the result of intentional, willful, reckless, and systemic negligence. The IFC cannot hide behind SRC’s divestment. Real accountability means compensation, recognition of rights, and direct action to repair harms. Anything less is injustice. We believe that justice that is delayed or diluted is, in effect, justice denied. The lives, dignity, and lands of Liberian communities must not be collateral damage for profit”,

     

    Contact information for Media Inquiries

    Jonathan Kaufman (Advocates for Community Alternatives): +1 617 645 4069, jonathan@advocatesforalternatives.org

    Francis Colee (Green Advocates International): +231-777-770-206, francis.colee@greenadvocates.org

    Paul Larry George (Alliance for Rural Democracy): +231-777-216-981, chairman.ard@gmail.com

    Windor B Smith (Alliance for Rural Democracy): +231-886-726-037, ard.headsecretariat@gmail.com

    Veronica Gray (Natural Resources Women’s Platform): +231-888-312-250, nrwomenplatform@gmail.com

    Abraham Kamara (Yeabamah National Congress for Human Rights: +231-775-071-272

    Ma. Quetta George (Doakai Town): +231-881-758-466

    Pastor. Melton Gweh (Gleebah Town): +231-886-933-720

    Mr. James Gorgbor (Gorgbor Town): +231-886-111-928

  • OPEN LETTER ON SOCFIN’S PROPOSED DIVESTMENT FROM SRC IN LIBERIA

    OPEN LETTER ON SOCFIN’S PROPOSED DIVESTMENT FROM SRC IN LIBERIA

    We, the undersigned, are Liberian, West African, and international civil society organizations, communities, and individuals concerned with the legacy of harm that the operations of the Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC) have foisted on local communities in and around Weala, Liberia.  We are alarmed by news that SRC’s parent company, Socfin, is seeking to divest its shares in SRC without first settling its social, environmental, cultural, financial, and economic debts to affected communities.  We therefore address this open letter to the Liberian government, Liberia’s development partners, the public, Socfin, and, particularly, all prospective purchasers of SRC.

    Any purchaser will inherit extremely significant liabilities connected to the widespread land, environmental, and human rights violations associated with SRC’s rubber plantation.  The purchaser will also receive a concession based on insecure title to the land on which the plantation sits.  We therefore call on all stakeholders – SRC’s parent company, Socfin; investors; financiers; the Government of Liberia; and all prospective buyers – to desist from any sale or assignation of rights until the complaints against SRC are resolved and the rights to the land upon which the concession for the rubber plantation was granted are conclusively determined.

    Background

    SRC, an indirectly owned subsidiary of Luxembourg-based agricultural giant Socfin since 2007, is the owner of an 8,000-hectare rubber plantation near the town of Weala.  The plantation operates according to a Concession Agreement concluded in 1959 and enacted by the Liberian legislature in 1960, which granted Socfin’s predecessors the rights to develop a rubber plantation on unencumbered, public land in what is now Lofa, Margibi and Bong Counties in the Republic of Liberia.  Since that time, the plantation has undergone several waves of expansion – most recently in 2015 – and has been associated with a wide range of violations of the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, including land grabbing, destruction of cultural sites, and sexual and gender-based violence.

    In its 2023 annual report, Socfin announced that a “sign of impairment” exists for SRC, assessed that impairment value at 7.5 million euros, and reclassified the plantation as an “asset for sale.”[1] According to the Article XI of SRC’s Concession Agreement, any assignment of rights to a third party must be approved by the Government of Liberia.[2]  Under Liberia’s 2018 Land Rights Act, local communities must have the opportunity to contribute their views to ensure that their rights and interests are protected when an existing concession is reviewed.[3]  That same law also provides that upon the termination of any concession on customary land, the land reverts to the local communities who are its original owners.[4]  The SRC concession will terminate on August 1, 2030.

    Serious Human Rights Impacts

    As the plantation has grown, it has engulfed the farmlands of at least 37 villages, miring their residents in poverty, food insecurity, and cultural dislocation.  Some communities, like Jorkporlorsue, are now a mere enclave surrounded by a sea of rubber, cut off from the graves of their ancestors and any form of self-sustenance.  Others, like Sayee Town, were burned when the plantation took over, sending their residents fleeing.  SRC did not pay compensation for the loss of land, and many testimonies from several communities attest that the company underpaid for the loss of productive and cultural assets.  Women are often harassed by workers and security guards when they cross the plantation for any reason, and many have been extorted for sex when they seek employment with the company.[5]

    These allegations were first reported by Green Advocates International in 2013[6] and confirmed in a 2019 report by Swiss NGO Bread for All.[7]  They are the subject of a 2019 complaint to the ombudsman’s office of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector financing arm of the World Bank, which partially funded Socfin’s rehabilitation of the SRC plantation after Liberia’s civil war and is currently finalizing an investigative report focused on how the IFC enforces its environmental and social safeguards.[8]  When Socfin engaged a consultant – Earthworm Foundation – to review its social and environmental performance in lieu of cooperating with the IFC’s investigation, the resulting report concluded that most of the communities’ complaints were, in fact substantiated and had not been properly addressed.[9]

    Land Rights Questioned 

    The plantation itself is the object of a lawsuit currently pending in the Liberian courts, in which residents of the affected communities claim that the land SRC took was not eligible for plantation development because it was neither public nor unencumbered.  The land was, in fact, under customary use and is part of the traditional territory of the local Kpelle communities.  The outcome of this lawsuit may decide whether the concession was validly granted or whether it should be recognized as customary land.

    Risks of Acquisition

    Socfin’s prospective divestment of SRC is a risky deal for all involved except Socfin itself.

    •       For affected communities, it could mean trading an international company that has committed – at least, on paper – to high standards of social and environmental responsibility and the resources to make good on them for a prospective purchaser whose willingness and capacity to protect community well-being is unknown.  Communities in Nigeria’s Niger Delta are currently facing a similar situation, as international oil companies with global reputations are seeking to divest their onshore operations to poorly known companies with little experience and few resources, without first resolving their environmental liabilities.[10]
    •       For the Republic of Liberia, as the purported owner of the land on which the plantation is located, it could mean being stuck with the social and environmental liabilities left behind by SRC under Socfin.
    •       For any prospective buyer, the purchase of the plantation would entail exposure to as-yet unquantified liability for claims for land, crop, cultural, and environmental damage and sexual and gender-based violence from thousands of individuals in 37 villages, as the Earthworm report and IFC assessment process clearly demonstrate.
    •       The buyer’s right to operate the plantation could also be affected by a potential finding from the Liberian courts that the Liberian government never had the authority to grant a concession over the land on which the plantation sits.[11] According to Article XI of the Concession Agreement, any assignee will have the same “rights, privileges, immunities and obligations” of the original concessionaire.  But given the uncertainty around Socfin’s outstanding liabilities to the communities and the validity of the concession itself, the rights transferred may be significantly less valuable than they appear, and the obligations may impose heavy, unforeseen costs on the purchaser.

    Recommendations

    In light of the above, Socfin’s planned divestment from SRC should not proceed without taking into account the following.

    To the Republic of Liberia:

    •       Ensure that process to seek the free, prior, and informed consent of affected communities with respect to any proposed assignation of rights by Socfin is respected, as it reviews the proposed sale, pursuant to Article 48(2) of the Land Rights Act of 2018 and general principles of international law with respect to the rights of indigenous peoples when their traditional land and natural resources are at risk.
    •       Immediately disclose to affected communities any request from Socfin to dispose of or assign its interest in SRC to any other party.
    •       Decline to approve any proposed assignment of rights by Socfin until the pending litigation over ownership of the plantation land and all other disputes regarding control of the land are resolved.
    •       Order a comprehensive forensic audit of SRC’s operations covering the entire concession period, focusing on production, environment, revenue, labor, and social obligations, as well as compliance with the terms and conditions of the concession agreement.
    •       In addition, decline to approve any proposed assignment of rights by Socfin unless a) Socfin has first deposited in a trust account in Liberia, under the joint control of community and government trustees, an amount adequate to cover all SRC’s potential environmental, social, cultural, and economic liabilities; and b) the purchaser has signed a community benefit agreement with the affected communities in which it commits to respecting the highest environmental and social standards and confers enforceable rights and benefits on the communities.  It is encouraging to note that in Nigeria, the government is taking seriously the need to ensure that exiting oil companies first pay for environmental cleanup;[12] nothing prevents Liberia from following suit.

    To prospective buyers:

    •       Refrain from completing any purchase until Socfin and SRC have settled all potential outstanding social, environmental, cultural, and economic liabilities with the surrounding communities.
    •       Prior to any engagements or negotiations with Socfin/SRC, commission a comprehensive risk assessment covering all potential, outstanding, and existing social, environmental, cultural, and economic liabilities toward the surrounding communities, private vendors/contractors, and the Government of Liberia.

    To Socfin:

    •       Refrain from seeking to divest from SRC until all potential and outstanding social, environmental, cultural, and economic liabilities with the surrounding communities are settled.

    To local communities:

    •       Exercise the right to submit comments and input to the government through the Community Land Development and Management Committee on Socfin’s proposed divestment, with a view toward protecting their human, environmental, cultural, and economic rights.

    Signed,

     

    Community representatives

    Edwin Gbah, Elder Representative, Dedee-ta 1

    Tina Gibson, Women Representative, Dedee-ta 1

    Isaiah Gibson, Youth Representative, Dedee-ta 1

    Tommy Blackie, Elder Representative, Golonkalah

    Tenneh Gbomah, Women Representative, Golonkalah

    Emmanuel Singbah, Youth Representative, Golonkalah

    Musa Kaiffa, Elder Representative, Dokai Town

    Quita George, Women Representative, Dokai Town

    Jonah Singbah, Youth Representative, Dokai Town

    Alfred Gotolo, Elder Representative, Monkeytail Town

    Hawa Monkeytail, Women Representative, Monkeytail Town

    Remember Fellezey, Youth Representative, Monkeytail Town

    Mulbah Yarkpawolo, Elder Representative, Hawa Bondon

    Betty Kollie, Women Representative, Hawa Bondon

    Patrick Yah, Youth Representative, Hawa Bondon

    David Siaffa, Elder Representative, Siaffa Molley Village

    Hawa Siaffa, Women Representative, Siaffa Molley Village

    Moses Siaffa, Youth Representative, Siaffa Molley Village

    Olanto Forjah, Elder Representative, Martin Village

    Miatta Gbah, Women Representative, Martin Village

    Emmanuel Gbah, Youth Representative, Martin Village

    James Whalee, Elder Representative, James Whalee Village

    Hawa Whalee, Women Representative, James Whalee Village

    Titus G. Whalee, Youth Representative, James Whalee Village

    James K. Gorgbor, Elder Representative, Gorgbor Town

    Jartu Gorgbor, Women Representative, Gorgbor Town

    Penneh Mulbah, Youth Representative, Gorgbor Town

    Samuel D. Bindah, Elder Representative Jorkporlorsue Town

    Menatta Sackie, Women Representative, Jorkporlorsue Town

    Aaron F. Kollie, Youth Representative, Jorkporlorsue Town

    Moses David, Elder Representative, Varmue Town

    Ruth Cooper, Women Representative, Varmue Town

    Dennis Cooper, Youth Representative, Varmue Town

    Fahn Kolleh, Elder Representative, Blomu Town

    Finda Bengo, Women Representative, Blomu Town

    Stephen Nantee, Youth Representative, Blomu Town

    William Bainda, Elder Representative, Lango Town

    Karne Dolo, Women Representative, Lango Town

    Fahn Singbe, Youth Representative, Lango Town

    Pst. Milton F. Gweh, Elder Representative, Garjah Town

    Hawah Siaffa, Women Representative, Garjah Town

    Edward Lawad, Youth Representative, Garjah Town

    Emmanuel Kpaingba, Elder Representative, Kuwah-ta

    Yassah Mulbah, Women Representative, Kuwah-ta

    Victor Koko, Youth Representative, Kuwah-ta

    Roger Moore, Elder Representative, Dedee-ta 2

    Miatta Singbah, Women Representative, Dedee-ta 2

    Oretha Singbah, Youth Representative, Dedee-ta 2

    		  

    Civil Society supporters

    Alfred Lahai Gbabai Brownell Sr., Founder, Green Advocates International, 2019 Goldman Environmental Prize Winner

    AbibiNsroma Foundation (Ghana)

    Accountability Counsel (Global)

    Action Solidarité Tiers Monde asbl (Luxembourg)

    Advocates for Community Alternatives (USA/West Africa)

    Africa Transcribe (Tanzania)

    Ahmed Elseidi, public interest lawyer (Egypt)

    Al-Marsad Arab Human Rights Center (Syria)

    Alliance for Rural Democracy (Liberia)

    Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy (Asia Regional)

    Asociación de Pescadores Artesanales del Golfo de Fonseca (Honduras)

    Attac CADTM Maroc (Morocco)

    Botswana Watch (Botswana)

    CADTM Afrique (Burkina Faso)

    CADTM Afrique (Mali)

    Claudia Lazzaro Socra (Argentina)

    CNCD-11.11.11 (Belgium)

    Collectif pour la défense des terres malgaches – TANY (Madagascar)

    Community Forest Watch (Nigeria)

    Consejo de los Pueblos Wuxhtaj (Guatemala)

    Daniel Santi, Pueblo Originario Kichwa de Sarayaku (Ecuador)

    Economic and Social Rights Centre – Hakihamii (Kenya)

    Environmental Defender Law Center (USA)

    FIAN-Belgium

    FIAN-Switzerland

    Fondation pour le Développement au Sahel (Mali)

    Foundation for Good Governance Development Initiative (Liberia)

    Global Rights (International)

    Good Health Community Programmes (Kenya)

    Green Advocates International (Liberia)

    GRAIN (International)

    HakiMadini (Tanzania)

    Hilfswerk der Evangelisch-reformierten Kirche Schweiz (HEKS) (Switzerland)

    Human Rights Awareness Center (Nepal)

    Inclusive Development International (International)

    Integrated Center for Community Empowerment (Liberia)

    Jamaa Resource Initiatives (Kenya)

    JPIC, Franciscans Africa (Kenya)

    Justicitz-ACORN (Liberia)

    Karapatan Alliance (Philippines)

    Karl Klare, International Social & Economic Rights Project (USA)

    Liberia Reform Movement (Liberia)

    Lok Shakti Abiyan (India)

    MENA Fem Movement (International)

    MUFRAS-32 (El Salvador)

    Natural Resources Women’s Platform (Liberia)

    National Civil Society Council of Liberia

    National Union of Domestic Employees (Trinidad and Tobago)

    Neighbourhood Environment Watch Foundation (Nigeria)

    Network Movement for Justice and Development (Sierra Leone)

    Protection International Africa

    Public Eye (Switzerland)

    ReAct Transnational (France)

    Réseau des Acteurs du Développement Durable (Cameroon)

    Renevlyn Development Initiative (Nigeria)

    Solifonds (Switzerland)

    SOS Faim (Luxembourg)

    SYNAPARCAM (Cameroon)

    West Point Women for Health and Development Organization (Liberia)

    Witness Radio (Uganda)

    WoMin Alliance Africa (Burkina Faso)

    Yeabamah National Congress for Human Rights (Liberia)

     

     

    [1] Socfin 2023 Annual Report at 65, 105, available at https://socfin.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2023-Socfin-Annual-report.pdf. 

    [2] Concession Agreement between the Republic of Liberia and Rubber Cultur Maatschappij ‘Amsterdam’ & Nordmann Rasmann and Company, dated 1st August 1959 AND Acts passed by the Legislature of the Republic of Liberia during the session 1959-1960, art. II.

    [3] Republic of Liberia, Land Rights Law of 2018, art. 48(2).

    [4] Ibid, art. 48(4).

    [5] See Ashoka Mukpo, At a rubber plantation in Liberia, history repeats in a fight over land, Mongabay (January 17, 2023), at https://news.mongabay.com/2023/01/at-a-rubber-plantation-in-liberia-history-repeats-in-a-fight-over-land/.

    [6] Green Advocates International, Livelihood Challenges at Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC) (April 2013).

    [7] Bread for All, Struggle for Life and Land: Socfin’s Rubber Plantations in Liberia and the Responsibility of Swiss Companies (2019), at  https://www.heks.ch/sites/default/files/documents/2021-12/Bfa_Socfin_Report_Update_Nov_19.pdf.

    [8] See Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, Liberia: Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC)-01/Margibi & Bong Counties, at https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/cases/liberia-salala-rubber-corporation-src-01margibi-bong-counties; Victoria Schneider, World Bank’s IFC under fire over alleged abuses at Liberian plantation it funded, Mongabay (April 4, 2024), at https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/world-banks-ifc-under-fire-over-alleged-abuses-at-liberian-plantation-it-funded/

    [9] Earthworm Foundation, Earthworm’s Deep Dive Greivance Work: Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC) (2023), at https://www.earthworm.org/uploads/files/EF-Public-report_SRC_310723.pdf.

    [10] Amnesty International, Nigeria: Government must halt Shell’s sale of its Niger Delta business unless human rights are fully protected (April 15, 2024), at https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/04/nigeria-government-must-halt-shells-sale-of-its-niger-delta-business-unless-human-rights-are-fully-protected/.

    [11] See Selma Lomax, Liberia: Government, Salala Rubber Plantation Company Suffer Major Setback in Court Case, Front Page Africa (December 14, 2022), at https://frontpageafricaonline.com/news/liberia-government-salala-rubber-plantation-company-suffer-major-setback-in-court-case/.

    [12] Camilius Eboh & Issac Anyaogu, Oil majors offered faster Nigerian exit if they pay for cleanup, Reuters (May 3, 2024), at https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/oil-majors-offered-faster-nigerian-exit-if-they-pay-cleanup-2024-05-03/.

     

    LETTRE OUVERTE SUR LE PROJET DE DÉSINVESTISSEMENT DU GROUPE SOCFIN DE LA SRC AU LIBERIA 

    Nous, soussignés, sommes des organisations de la société civile libérienne, ouest-africaine et internationale, ainsi des communautés et individus, préoccupés par les préjudices que les activités de la Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC) ont infligés aux communautés locales de Weala, au Liberia, et de ses environs. Nous sommes alarmés par la nouvelle selon laquelle la société mère de la SRC, Socfin, cherche à céder ses parts dans la SRC sans d’abord régler ses dettes sociales, environnementales, culturelles, financières et économiques à l’égard des communautés affectées. Nous adressons donc cette lettre ouverte au gouvernement libérien, aux partenaires de développement du Liberia, au grand public, à Socfin et, en particulier, à tous les acheteurs potentiels du SRC.

    Tout acquéreur héritera d’un passif extrêmement important lié aux violations généralisées des droits fonciers, environnementaux et humains associées à la plantation d’hévéas de la SRC. L’acheteur recevra également une concession basée sur un titre de propriété incertain pour le terrain sur lequel se trouve la plantation. Nous appelons donc toutes les parties prenantes – la société mère du SRC, Socfin, les investisseurs, les financiers, le gouvernement du Liberia et tous les acheteurs potentiels – à s’abstenir de toute vente ou cession de droits jusqu’à ce que les plaintes contre le SRC soient résolues et que les droits sur les terres sur lesquelles la concession pour la plantation d’hévéas a été accordée soient déterminés de manière concluante. 

    Historique

    SRC, une filiale indirecte du géant agricole luxembourgeois Socfin depuis 2007, est propriétaire d’une plantation de caoutchouc de 8 000 hectares près de la ville de Weala. La plantation est exploitée conformément à un accord de concession conclu en 1959 et ratifié par le législateur libérien en 1960, qui a accordé aux prédécesseurs de Socfin le droit de développer une plantation d’hévéas sur des terres publiques non grevées dans ce qui est aujourd’hui les comtés de Lofa, Margibi et Bong dans la République du Liberia. Depuis lors, la plantation a connu plusieurs vagues d’expansion – la dernière en 2015 – et a été associée à un large éventail de violations des droits des peuples autochtones et des communautés locales, notamment l’accaparement de terres, la destruction de sites culturels et la violence sexuelle et sexiste.

    Dans son rapport annuel 2023, Socfin a annoncé l’existence d’un « signe de dépréciation » pour SRC, a évalué cette valeur de dépréciation à 7,5 millions d’euros et a reclassé la plantation en tant qu’ « actif à vendre ».[1] Selon l’article XI de la convention de concession de SRC, toute cession de droits à un tiers doit être approuvée par le gouvernement du Liberia.[2] En vertu de la loi libérienne de 2018 sur les droits fonciers, les communautés locales doivent avoir la possibilité d’exprimer leur point de vue afin de garantir la protection de leurs droits et de leurs intérêts lors de la révision d’une concession existante.[3] Cette même loi prévoit également qu’à l’expiration d’une concession sur des terres coutumières, les terres reviennent aux communautés locales qui en sont les propriétaires d’origine.[4] La concession actuelle de la SRC prendra fin le 1er août 2030. 

    Incidences graves sur les droits de l’homme 

    Au fur et à mesure de son développement, la plantation a englouti les terres agricoles d’au moins 37 villages, plongeant leurs habitants dans la pauvreté, l’insécurité alimentaire et la dislocation culturelle. Certaines communautés, comme Jorkporlorsue, ne sont plus qu’une enclave entourée d’une mer de caoutchouc, coupée des tombes de leurs ancêtres et de toute forme d’autosuffisance. D’autres, comme Sayee Town, ont été brûlées lorsque la plantation en a pris le contrôle, faisant fuir leurs habitants. La SRC n’a pas versé de compensation pour la perte de terres, et selon de nombreux  témoignages émanant de plusieurs communautés la société n’a pas payé suffisamment la perte de biens productifs et culturels. De nombreux témoignages affirment que les femmes sont harcelées par les travailleurs et les gardes de sécurité lorsqu’elles traversent la plantation pour quelque raison que ce soit, et nombre d’entre elles ont été extorquées à des fins sexuelles lorsqu’elles cherchaient un emploi au sein de la compagnie.[5]

    Ces allégations ont été rapportées pour la première fois par Green Advocates International en 2013[6] et confirmées par l’ONG Suisse Pain pour le Prochain dans un rapport de 2019.[7] Elles font l’objet d’une plainte déposée en 2019 auprès du bureau du médiateur de la Société financière internationale (SFI), la branche de financement du secteur privé de la Banque mondiale, qui a partiellement financé la réhabilitation par Socfin de la plantation SRC après la guerre civile au Liberia. et qui finalise actuellement un rapport d’enquête axé sur la manière dont la SFI applique ses mesures de sauvegarde environnementales et sociales.[8] Lorsque Socfin a engagé un consultant – Earthworm Foundation – pour examiner ses performances sociales et environnementales au lieu de coopérer à l’enquête de la SFI, le rapport qui en a résulté a conclu que la plupart des plaintes des communautés étaient en fait fondées et n’avaient pas été correctement traitées.[9] 

    Les droits fonciers remis en question

    La plantation elle-même fait l’objet d’un procès actuellement en cours devant les tribunaux libériens, dans lequel les résidents des communautés concernées affirment que les terres prises par le SRC n’étaient pas éligibles pour le développement de la plantation car elles n’étaient ni publiques ni libres de toute charge. Le terrain était en fait utilisé de manière coutumière et fait partie du territoire traditionnel des communautés locales de Kpelle. L’issue de ce procès pourrait décider si l’accord de concession est valide ou si elle doit être reconnue comme terre coutumière. 

    Risques liés à l’acquisition

    La cession envisagée de la SRC par Socfin est une opération risquée pour toutes les parties concernées, à l’exception de Socfin elle-même.

    – Pour les communautés touchées, cela pourrait signifier l’échange d’une entreprise internationale qui s’est engagée – au moins sur le papier – à respecter des normes élevées en matière de responsabilité sociale et environnementale et à disposer des ressources nécessaires pour les mettre en œuvre, contre un acheteur potentiel dont on ne connaît pas la volonté et la capacité à protéger le bien-être de la communauté. Les communautés du delta du Niger, au Nigeria, sont actuellement confrontées à une situation similaire, car des compagnies pétrolières internationales de réputation mondiale cherchent à céder leurs activités terrestres à des entreprises peu connues, dotées de peu d’expérience et de ressources, sans avoir au préalable résolu leurs responsabilités environnementales.[10]

    – Pour la République du Liberia, en tant que propriétaire présumé du terrain sur lequel se trouve la plantation, cela pourrait signifier qu’elle doit assumer les responsabilités sociales et environnementales laissées par le SRC dans le cadre de la Socfin.

    – Pour tout acheteur potentiel, l’achat de la plantation entraînerait une exposition à une responsabilité non encore quantifiée pour des réclamations concernant des dommages causés à la terre, aux cultures, à la culture et à l’environnement, ainsi que des violences sexuelles et sexistes sur des milliers de personnes dans 37 villages, comme le rapport Earthworm et le processus d’évaluation de la SFI l’ont clairement démontré.

    – Le droit de l’acheteur d’exploiter la plantation pourrait également être affecté par une éventuelle décision des tribunaux libériens selon laquelle le gouvernement libérien n’a jamais eu l’autorité d’accorder une concession sur le terrain où se trouve la plantation.[11] Selon l’article XI de la convention de concession, tout cessionnaire aura les mêmes « droits, privilèges, immunités et obligations » que le concessionnaire d’origine. Toutefois, compte tenu de l’incertitude qui entoure les dettes de Socfin envers les communautés encore en suspens et la validité de la concession elle-même, les droits transférés pourraient avoir beaucoup moins de valeur qu’il n’y paraît et les obligations pourraient imposer à l’acquéreur des coûts lourds et imprévus. 

    Recommandations

    À la lumière de ce qui précède, le désinvestissement prévu par Socfin de la SRC ne devrait pas avoir lieu sans prendre en considération le suivant.

    À la République du Liberia :

    – Assurer que le processus pour rechercher le consentement libre, préalable et éclairé des communautés affectées en ce qui concerne toute proposition de cession de droits par Socfin soit respecté, lors de l’examen du projet de vente, conformément à l’article 48(2) de la loi sur les droits fonciers de 2018 et aux principes généraux du droit international relatifs aux droits des peuples autochtones lorsque leurs terres traditionnelles et leurs ressources naturelles sont menacées.

    – Divulguer immédiatement aux communautés affectées toute demande de Socfin de céder ou d’attribuer sa participation dans le SRC à une autre partie.

    – Refuser d’approuver toute proposition de cession de droits par Socfin tant que le litige en cours sur la propriété des terres de plantation et tous les autres litiges concernant le contrôle des terres n’auront pas été résolus.

    – Commander un audit complet de conformité des opérations de la plantation SRC couvrant toute la durée de la concession, en se concentrant sur la production, l’environnement, les revenus, le travail et les obligations sociales, ainsi que sur le respect des termes et conditions de l’accord de concession.

    – En outre, refuser d’approuver toute proposition de cession de droits par Socfin à moins que a) Socfin n’ait d’abord déposé sur un compte fiduciaire au Liberia., sous le contrôle conjoint de la communauté et du gouvernement, un montant adéquat pour couvrir toutes les responsabilités environnementales, sociales, culturelles et économiques potentielles du SRC ; et b) que l’acheteur n’ait signé un accord de bénéfice communautaire avec les communautés affectées dans lequel il s’engage à respecter les normes environnementales et sociales les plus élevées et confère des droits et des bénéfices exécutoires aux communautés. Il est encourageant de constater qu’au Nigeria, le gouvernement prend au sérieux la nécessité de veiller à ce que les compagnies pétrolières sortantes paient d’abord pour l’assainissement de l’environnement[12] ; rien n’empêche le Liberia de suivre cet exemple.

     

    Aux acquéreurs potentiels :

    – S’abstenir de conclure tout achat jusqu’à ce que Socfin et SRC aient réglé toutes les dettes sociales, environnementales, culturelles et économiques potentielles en suspens avec les communautés environnantes.

    – Avant tout engagement ou toute négociation avec Socfin/SRC, commander une évaluation complète des risques couvrant toutes les responsabilités sociales, environnementales, culturelles et économiques potentielles, en cours et existantes à l’égard des communautés environnantes, des vendeurs/contractants privés et du gouvernement du Liberia.

     

    A Socfin :

    – S’abstenir de chercher à céder le SRC jusqu’à ce que toutes les responsabilités sociales, environnementales, culturelles et économiques potentielles en suspens avec les communautés environnantes soient réglées.

     

    Aux communautés locales :

    – Exercer le droit de soumettre au gouvernement, par l’intermédiaire du comité de développement et de gestion des terres communautaires, des commentaires et des suggestions sur le projet de désinvestissement de Socfin, en vue de protéger leurs droits humains, environnementaux, culturels et économiques.

     

    Signé,

     

    Représentants des communautés

    Edwin Gbah, Elder Representative, Dedee-ta 1

    Tina Gibson, Women Representative, Dedee-ta 1

    Isaiah Gibson, Youth Representative, Dedee-ta 1

    Tommy Blackie, Elder Representative, Golonkalah

    Tenneh Gbomah, Women Representative, Golonkalah

    Emmanuel Singbah, Youth Representative, Golonkalah

    Musa Kaiffa, Elder Representative, Dokai Town

    Quita George, Women Representative, Dokai Town

    Jonah Singbah, Youth Representative, Dokai Town

    Alfred Gotolo, Elder Representative, Monkeytail Town

    Hawa Monkeytail, Women Representative, Monkeytail Town

    Remember Fellezey, Youth Representative, Monkeytail Town

    Mulbah Yarkpawolo, Elder Representative, Hawa Bondon

    Betty Kollie, Women Representative, Hawa Bondon

    Patrick Yah, Youth Representative, Hawa Bondon

    David Siaffa, Elder Representative, Siaffa Molley Village

    Hawa Siaffa, Women Representative, Siaffa Molley Village

    Moses Siaffa, Youth Representative, Siaffa Molley Village

    Olanto Forjah, Elder Representative, Martin Village

    Miatta Gbah, Women Representative, Martin Village

    Emmanuel Gbah, Youth Representative, Martin Village

    James Whalee, Elder Representative, James Whalee Village

    Hawa Whalee, Women Representative, James Whalee Village

    Titus G. Whalee, Youth Representative, James Whalee Village

    James K. Gorgbor, Elder Representative, Gorgbor Town

    Jartu Gorgbor, Women Representative, Gorgbor Town

    Tenneh Mulbah, Youth Representative, Gorgbor Town

    Samuel D. Bindah, Elder Representative Jorkporlorsue Town

    Menatta Sackie, Women Representative, Jorkporlorsue Town

    Aaron F. Kollie, Youth Representative, Jorkporlorsue Town

    Moses David, Elder Representative, Varmue Town

    Ruth Cooper, Women Representative, Varmue Town

    Dennis Cooper, Youth Representative, Varmue Town

    Fahn Kolleh, Elder Representative, Blomu Town

    Finda Bengo, Women Representative, Blomu Town

    Stephen Nantee, Youth Representative, Blomu Town

    William Bainda, Elder Representative, Lango Town

    Karne Dolo, Women Representative, Lango Town

    Fahn Singbe, Youth Representative, Lango Town

    Pst. Milton F. Gweh, Elder Representative, Garjah Town

    Hawah Siaffa, Women Representative, Garjah Town

    Edward Lawad, Youth Representative, Garjah Town

    Emmanuel Kpaingba, Elder Representative, Kuwah-ta

    Yassah Mulbah, Women Representative, Kuwah-ta

    Victor Koko, Youth Representative, Kuwah-ta

    Roger Moore, Elder Representative, Dedee-ta 2

    Miatta Singbah, Women Representative, Dedee-ta 2

    Oretha Singbah, Youth Representative, Dedee-ta 2

    		  

    Société civile

    Alfred Lahai Gbabai Brownell Sr., Founder, Green Advocates International, 2019 Goldman Environmental Prize Winner

    AbibiNsroma Foundation (Ghana)

    Accountability Counsel (Global)

    Action Solidarité Tiers Monde asbl (Luxembourg)

    Advocates for Community Alternatives (USA/West Africa)

    Africa Transcribe (Tanzania)

    Ahmed Elseidi, public interest lawyer (Egypt)

    Al-Marsad Arab Human Rights Center (Syria)

    Alliance for Rural Democracy (Liberia)

    Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy (Asia Regional)

    Asociación de Pescadores Artesanales del Golfo de Fonseca (Honduras)

    Attac CADTM Maroc (Morocco)

    Botswana Watch (Botswana)

    CADTM Afrique (Burkina Faso)

    CADTM Afrique (Mali)

    Claudia Lazzaro Socra (Argentina)

    CNCD-11.11.11 (Belgium)

    Collectif pour la défense des terres malgaches – TANY (Madagascar)

    Community Forest Watch (Nigeria)

    Consejo de los Pueblos Wuxhtaj (Guatemala)

    Daniel Santi, Pueblo Originario Kichwa de Sarayaku (Ecuador)

    Economic and Social Rights Centre – Hakihamii (Kenya)

    Environmental Defender Law Center (USA)

    FIAN-Belgium

    FIAN-Switzerland

    Fondation pour le Développement au Sahel (Mali)

    Foundation for Good Governance Development Initiative (Liberia)

    Global Rights (International)

    Good Health Community Programmes (Kenya)

    Green Advocates International (Liberia)

    GRAIN (International)

    HakiMadini (Tanzania)

    Hilfswerk der Evangelisch-reformierten Kirche Schweiz (HEKS) (Switzerland)

    Human Rights Awareness Center (Nepal)

    Inclusive Development International (International)

    Integrated Center for Community Empowerment (Liberia)

    Jamaa Resource Initiatives (Kenya)

    JPIC, Franciscans Africa (Kenya)

    Justicitz-ACORN (Liberia)

    Karapatan Alliance (Philippines)

    Karl Klare, International Social & Economic Rights Project (USA)

    Liberia Reform Movement (Liberia)

    Lok Shakti Abiyan (India)

    MENA Fem Movement (International)

    MUFRAS-32 (El Salvador)

    Natural Resources Women’s Platform (Liberia)

    National Civil Society Council of Liberia

    National Union of Domestic Employees (Trinidad and Tobago)

    Neighbourhood Environment Watch Foundation (Nigeria)

    Network Movement for Justice and Development (Sierra Leone)

    Protection International Africa

    Public Eye (Switzerland)

    ReAct Transnational (France)

    Réseau des Acteurs du Développement Durable (Cameroon)

    Renevlyn Development Initiative (Nigeria)

    Solifonds (Switzerland)

    SOS Faim (Luxembourg)

    SYNAPARCAM (Cameroon)

    West Point Women for Health and Development Organization (Liberia)

    Witness Radio (Uganda)

    WoMin Alliance Africa (Burkina Faso)

    Yeabamah National Congress for Human Rights (Liberia)

    [1] Socfin, Rapport Annuel 2023, pp. 65-66 et 102, disponible à https://socfin.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2023-Socfin-Rapport-annuel-1.pdf.

    [2] Concession Agreement between the Republic of Liberia and Rubber Cultur Maatschappij ‘Amsterdam’ & Nordmann Rasmann and Company, daté le 1er août 1959 et Acts passed by the Legislature of the Republic of Liberia during the session 1959-1960, art. II.

    [3] Republic of Liberia, Land Rights Law of 2018, art. 48(2).

    [4] Ibid, art. 48(4).

    [5] Voir Ashoka Mukpo, At a rubber plantation in Liberia, history repeats in a fight over land, Mongabay (17 janvier 2023),  https://news.mongabay.com/2023/01/at-a-rubber-plantation-in-liberia-history-repeats-in-a-fight-over-land/.

    [6] Green Advocates International, Livelihood Challenges at Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC) (Avril 2013).

    [7] Pain pour le prochain, Lutte pour la vie et pour la terre les plantations de caoutchouc de Socfin au Libéria et la responsabilité des entreprises suisses (2019), at https://www.heks.ch/sites/default/files/documents/2022-08/Bfa_Socfin_Summary_F_Update_Nov_19.pdf.

    [8] Voir Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, Liberia: Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC)-01/Margibi & Bong Counties, https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/cases/liberia-salala-rubber-corporation-src-01margibi-bong-counties ; Victoria Schneider, World Bank’s IFC under fire over alleged abuses at Liberian plantation it funded, Mongabay (4 avril 2024), https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/world-banks-ifc-under-fire-over-alleged-abuses-at-liberian-plantation-it-funded/

    [9] Earthworm Foundation, Earthworm’s Deep Dive Greivance Work: Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC) (2023), https://www.earthworm.org/uploads/files/EF-Public-report_SRC_310723.pdf.

    [10] Amnesty Internationa, Nigeria: Government must halt Shell’s sale of its Niger Delta business unless human rights are fully protected (15 avril 2024), https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/04/nigeria-government-must-halt-shells-sale-of-its-niger-delta-business-unless-human-rights-are-fully-protected/.

    [11] Voir Selma Lomax, Liberia: Government, Salala Rubber Plantation Company Suffer Major Setback in Court Case, Front Page Africa (14 décembre 2022), https://frontpageafricaonline.com/news/liberia-government-salala-rubber-plantation-company-suffer-major-setback-in-court-case/.

    [12] Camilius Eboh & Issac Anyaogu, Oil majors offered faster Nigerian exit if they pay for cleanup, Reuters (3 mai 2024), https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/oil-majors-offered-faster-nigerian-exit-if-they-pay-cleanup-2024-05-03/.

  • 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.

  • 22 Liberian Indigenous communities accuse the Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC), a Subsidiary of SOCFIN, a transnational corporation based in Luxembourg and an International Finance Corporation (IFC) Client, of grave human rights and environmental abuses using World Bank financing.

    Press Contacts
    Alfred Brownell
    Email: alfred.brownell@greenadvocates.org
    Green Advocates USA
    Skype: alfredbrownell
    Phone#:+1541 255 2399

    Francis K. Colee 
    Green Advocates International 
    Email: francis.colee@greenadvocates.org 
    Phone# +231777077206 

    Simpson D L Snoh 
    Alliance for Rural Democracy 
    Email: simpsonsnoh.ard@gmail.com 
    Phone# +231777529064 

    Kakata City, Liberia, May 27th, 2019 – In a complaint filed today, 22 Liberian indigenous villagers say, the Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC) is using World Bank money to expand and operate its Liberian plantations through illegal land grabs, sexual violence, and intimidation of human rights defenders, according to a complaint filed today. Residents of 22 Indigenous Villages in Margibi and Bong Counties are asking the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s private-sector arm, to intercede and take special steps to protect community based Land, Environmental and Human Rights Defenders from harm and reprisals as a result of their complaints consistent with the IFC October 2018 Position Statement on Retaliation Against Civil Society and Project Stakeholders.

    SRC, a Liberian subsidiary of Luxembourg-based agricultural giant Socfin, took over the Weala Rubber Company in 2007, after the end of Liberia’s civil war. SRC received an IFC loan in 2008 to expand and modernize its rubber plantations. But according to villagers, that expansion has undermined their livelihoods and has been accompanied by violence against women and community leaders. The company has forcibly taken over traditional territory and even lands for which locals hold formal title deeds, without regard for land rights and without compensating the owners. One resident explained, “Our ancestors resided upon these lands before the Republic of Liberia even existed.” But now many villages are surrounded by plantation, their farmlands and forests cleared and engulfed by rubber trees. 

    Without the farmland or the forest, communities have entered a period of food scarcity. “When I was a child, our parents fed us three times per day. We had plenty of land for farming, and we grew enough food to feed the family and sell some for profit,” one woman said. “The forest was used for hunting, medicine, and rivers for catching fish. Now I can only feed my two children once per day.” SRC also sprays pesticides and other chemicals around the villages, polluting sources of water. Community members report that their water sources including creeks, rivers and streams have changed color, smell foul, and often cause rashes and diarrhea when imbibed soon after rounds of spraying. They also complained that their sacred sites – tombs, shrines, Sande (women traditional schools and universities) and Poro (male traditional schools and universities) and areas of forest reserved for medicinal plants and religious activities – have been destroyed and desecrated.

    Living near SRC’s plantations brings other perils as well. The few women who find employment with the company are subject to harassment by the contractor heads who manage them; they often face demands for sex just to receive payment that is due to them. Women who walk through the plantations at night – often a necessity because villages are literally surrounded by rubber trees – fear running into plantation guards, who humiliate them and threaten them with rape. Activists and community leaders who voice their opposition to the company or seek redress for the damages have been arrested and their legitimate grievances criminalized on spurious charges and put under continuous surveillance. The communities’ complaint asks the IFC to take special steps to protect these organizers, land, environmental and human rights defenders from harm. 

    In January 2019, a Swiss organization, Bread for All, published a detailed report revealing the abuses and impacts on communities of SRC’s operations, but the company has yet to respond. Frustrated with this failure to address their concerns, the communities have directed their complaints toward the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), an office of the IFC that investigates allegations that IFC-funded projects are in breach of IFC’s own strict social and environmental safeguard policies. 

    Green Advocates International, the Liberian organization filing the complaint and supporting the Indigenous communities, hopes the IFC complaint will have a better outcome. “SRC has harmed these communities on such a massive scale that the IFC must compel the SRC to remedy these abuses and make them whole again. The IFC has a duty, an obligation and a responsibility to protect, respect and fulfill the rights of these indigenous villagers,” says Alfred Lahai Gbabai Brownell Sr, the lawyer representing the indigenous communities and the 2019 Goldman Prize Winner, Lead Campaigner and Founder of Green Advocates International. “With the interventions of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), we hope the IFC will hold SRC accountable for its actions. This would be an important and sizable symbolic victory for all of our impacted communities that have continuously suffered these abuses for almost half a century without and form of remedy IT IS TIME to hold the IFC, SOCFIN and its subsidiary, the SRC fully accountable,” says Brownell.

    Green Advocates International 

    Green Advocates International is Liberia’s first public interest environmental law and human rights organization dedicated to ensuring the protection of the environment, defending human rights, empowering and amplifying the voices of poor people who are victimized in resource exploitation and by using the rule of law to hold state and non-state actors accountable for their actions. The program activities of Green Advocates are conceptualized to amplify environmental protection, a transparent and accountable system of governance in natural resources management to benefit indigenous people who are the custodians of natural resources, the intellectual and cultural rights of rural people, and the link to the protection of the human rights of marginalize people. 

    Quotations from Affected Community Members 

    “Human rights defenders in the communities have been systematically targeted by the IFC’s client, SRC, as a result of their activities in seeking redress for legitimate grievances regarding SRC’s activities, and are continuously surveilled by local police and SRC’s private security contractors”
     – Says Francis K. Colee, Head of Programs Green Advocates 

    “During the SRC expansions in the 1960s and 1979/80, many of us were forced to evacuate to indigenous tribal ‘reserve land.’ Once we were evicted from the reserve land, we had nowhere to go. The government knew we were there, we paid taxes.”
    – An elderly male member of the community 

    “SRC cleared sacred places such as our traditional revered snake bushes, Sande bush, Poro bush, taboo trees, sacred rivers, ritual lands, and ancestral graves while expanding its rubber plantation. We used snake bushes to cure those bitten by snakes. SRC destroyed many of these sites during the clearing of the bush or the demolition of towns.” 
    – Youth leader from the community 

    “Our ancestors resided upon these lands before the Republic of Liberia even existed. Now SRC’s expansion is making our entire way of life impossible to continue.”
    – An elderly male member of the community 

    “When I was a child, our parents fed us three times each day. They had plenty of land for farming and grew enough food to feed the family and sell some for profit. The forest was used for hunting, medicine, and rivers for catching fish. Now I can only feed my two children once per day.” 
    – An Indigenous women leader 

    “The same bulldozers which destroyed farmlands have also demolished many graveyards, or cut the them off from the surrounding forest, robbing them of spiritual value. We can no longer honor our ancestors.”
    – A chief from one of the villages 

    “We now must use water from the creek in the swamp within the planation, even though the water is unsuitable to drink.” 
    – Another women leader 

    “If a woman travels after 6 (six) PM in the evening, she can expect to get raped.” 
    – Woman land rights defender 

    “SRC has harmed our communities on such a massive scale that making us whole again could prove to be impossible.” 
    – A young female Land Rights Defender 

    SRC IFC COMPLAINTDownload
    Annex 1Download
    Annex 2 Representive and Comunity Advisors SignaturesDownload
    Annex 3 Client SignaturesDownload