Cameroon: Jail time for not ceding land to the Chinese

Radio Netherlands Worldwide | 1 March 2012
Medium_joseph_land

BY MOHAMADOU HOUMFA, YAOUNDÉ

A farmer in eastern Cameroon has challenged a government ruling forcing him to cede his land to Chinese rice farmers. The West African country has adopted a land redistribution policy that favours Chinese investors above its own citizens.

In Akak, in eastern Cameroon, the future of a family is at stake. Fa'a Embolo Joseph, a 59-year-old father of nine, might lose his 10,000 hectares of land to Chinese rice farmers. Since 2009, the Cameroonian government has been giving Chinese investors preferential treatment in land distribution matters.

"My children are very worried. They know I am fighting for their future. If I don't do that, they might not inherit their ancestral land," says Joseph, who is determined to oppose the government's decision.

Three years ago Joseph was summoned to the village chief's office and was told to hand his land over to new Chinese owners, he says. "A couple of days later some people came to mark off the land. Then I shut off access to my land with three tree-trunks."

Intimidation

On February 14th, Joseph was sentenced to a one year jail term for "rebellion". He decided to appeal, costing him 95,000 CFA (145 euros). It was not the first time he was penalized. Last year he served a four-month prison sentence for blocking the authorities - and the Chinese - from accessing to his land.

Joseph says people in rural areas are often abused because they're ignorant. "In the villages, it often happens that the authorities try to cheat the population, the majority of whom haven't been to school."

He is angry that the authorities don't seem to care about his worries. "We still don't know if we will be compensated for the land loss and, if so, how much money we will receive. This land is very important to us. Our ancestors are buried here, and the forest feeds us with termites, worms and other produce."
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