Bagyeli and Bantu communities in Ocean gain an audience with local authorities

In 2012, Singaporean-owned palm oil company Biopalm Energy Limited was granted a provisional concession to create an oil palm plantation. Affected local communities, which include both indigenous Bagyeli communities as well as Bakoko and Bass’aa Bantu communities, were not consulted and were given limited information about the project. Since 2012, FPP and community-based indigenous NGO Okani have been working with communities in Ocean, in southern Cameroon. Okani and FPP have provided more details of the project to possibly affected communities, and explained what their rights are in respect of the project, in order for them to take an informed view of whether to support or oppose the project, and how best to negotiate with the company. 

Biopalm’s proposed oil palm plantation is one of several projects affecting the customary lands of these communities, whose property rights are not secured by national law. In addition, a large portion of their customary lands is covered by a forest concession (Forest Management Unit No. 00-003), and several sales of standing timber (ventes de coupe, small-scale timber felling licences) have been granted within their lands. In addition, an exploration permit covers almost the entirety of their territories (extending also into the lands of neighbouring villages).

Finding out the details of all these concessions and titles is no easy affair. There is no right to access this information in Cameroon, and records (where they are kept) are often closely-guarded by administrative officials, who generally do not have a culture of public accountability, and may either be complicit in corrupt activities or afraid of repercussions from other, more powerful public figures who are. Even formally, public information such as laws or administrative acts can be hard to obtain – not only by community members, but also by lawyers and international organisations – meaning that a lot of uncertainties remain around all of these titles. 

Despite this, with the combined efforts of community members, Okani and FPP, more details of these projects emerged and were discussed by communities. As a result, in August 2015 three out of the four affected villages decided to write a letter of opposition to the Biopalm Energy project, which was addressed to the President of Cameroon. The fourth village had internal differences of opinion, and chose to hold off on signature of the letter at the time. It has since also adopted a position of opposition to the project. Members of all villages signed a further follow up letter of opposition, lodged with the President in May 2016. 

These efforts have begun to bear fruit. In May 2016, community representatives were invited to attend a meeting at the Prefecture in Ocean, the administrative division in which the villages are located. Local delegates from several ministries, as well as the Director General of Biopalm Energy, also attended. The Prefect assured communities that their participation and support was essential and the project could not proceed if they were against it. He then invited the communities to explain their reasons for opposition, and a discussion ensued with the Director General of the company, who made several promises of community benefits to them. Community members, however, remained firmly against the proposal. 

This meeting marked the first time that communities had been involved in a genuine and informed dialogue with the government and the company about their proposal, and the communities were very pleased with it – indeed, the Prefect complimented them on their organisation and coherence. Of particular note was the role of Bagyeli community representatives, who have traditionally been marginalised within villages, but who played a critical part in the meeting in defending their forest lands.

More information about FPP and Okani’s work in this area can be found in our recent publication: Behind the Veil: Transparency, access to information and community rights in Cameroon’s forestry sector. 

By Anouska Perram, Forest Peoples Programme