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Land dispute escalates between palm oil company and Cameroon’s Apouh community

May 27, 2025

The Apouh à Ngog Indigenous community in Cameroon's Littoral region is engaged in an escalating land dispute with SOCAPALM, a subsidiary of European holding company Socfin, which has taken over 90 percent of their land (about 3,700 hectares) since 2010. Villagers claim they were forcefully displaced without compensation, leaving the growing community of approximately 3,000 people with insufficient space for living and farming. Recent protests over disputed land led to police intervention with tear gas and violence against community members, highlighting tensions between local communities and agro-industrial companies in Cameroon.

Who is affected

  • The Indigenous Apouh à Ngog community of approximately 3,000 people
  • Local farmers, particularly women who had planted crops in the disputed areas
  • Specific individuals like Emmelienne Patience Ndongo (a 46-year-old widow and mother of four) who suffered police abuse
  • Members of the Association des Femmes Riverain de Edea 1 (AFRISE)
  • The local chiefdom and its leadership, including His Majesty Dipote Lindoume
  • SOCAPALM and its parent company Socfin

What action is being taken

  • Villagers are actively protesting and attempting to reclaim their land, including moving onto plot 81 and planting crops
  • AFRISE is advocating for the community through formal letters to Socfin demanding the return of ancestral land
  • The Ministry of State Property, Surveys, and Land Tenure (MINCAF) has instructed local authorities to delimit boundaries of the disputed land
  • Police are responding to protests with force, including tear gas and physical violence
  • The community is formally challenging SOCAPALM's land claims through letters to government officials
  • SOCAPALM states they remain "open to discussions" with the community

Why it matters

  • The dispute reflects broader issues of land rights and cohabitation between Indigenous communities and agro-industries in Cameroon
  • The conflict highlights the ongoing impact of colonial-era land appropriation and outdated land laws
  • Limited land access threatens food security and livelihoods for the Apouh community
  • The dispute raises questions about corporate responsibility and the rights of Indigenous communities
  • According to Greenpeace Africa, such land disputes undermine investment and social development
  • The case exemplifies tensions between economic development through industrial agriculture and community land rights

What's next

  • The drafting of a land policy and land law reforms, which have been in development since 2011, may address some of the underlying issues
  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Global Voices

Land dispute escalates between palm oil company and Cameroon’s Apouh community