CSO Rights Group Urges Gov’t To Compensation Promise to Over 11K Fendall Demolition Victims

PHOTO: Adama Dempster and flashback of part of the destruction

By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com

The Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia has called on the current CDC government to fulfill promised it made to compensate the 11,471 victims of the forceful eviction from the Fendall Campus of the University of Liberia by the Unity Party government of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in a massive demolition exercise.

Since taking office in January 2018, the government of President George Manneh Weah promised to compensate the demolition victims.

Earlier this year, the Liberian government finally accepted official responsibility for wrongfully evicting its own people, promising to resettle them and restore their dignity and loss.

The Liberia Media for Democratic Initiative (LMDI) headed by prominent Journalist John Kollie, initiated a sustained championing of the cause of the victims when the demolition started back in 2016.

In the final official situation and resolution report dated January 28, 2021 but only released in May this year by the Liberian government, the Liberia Land Authority (LLA) recommended that the government pays eight million United States Dollars compensation to the victims of the wanton demolition.

In 2016, the government forcefully evicted 11,471 people from the Fendall area and 2,107 others from five villages in efforts to expand the UL campus in the area destroying properties estimated at over 16 million US Dollars.

Following President George Weah’s intervention, the government represented by the Liberia land Authority and the Liberia Refugee, Repatriation and Resettlement Commission and the victims reached an agreement of eight million US dollars.

Addressing a press conference in the Congo Town suburb of Monrovia on Tuesday, the Human Rights Platform’s Secretary General, Adama Dempster stressed the need for the government to give the 607,885 acres of land known as the Green Land be to the 2,107 families made homeless as a result of the demolition of their villages.

According to him, the 5,800 acres of land deed given to the University of Liberia be cancelled, nullified and a new deed be issued to the institution.

Mr. Dempster noted that the people of Fendall have suffered too long and there is no better time than now for the government to resettle them  in peace once for all

“We welcomed the very important step taken by the President Weah in the interest of the affected residents and victims of Fendell,” the CSO human rights platform executive said.

According to Mr. Dempster, the President’s good intentions are not enough until the agreements between the government and people of Fendell highlighted in the Liberia Land Authority report are fully implemented in time.

“We call on the government to ensure that national laws governing evictions must be in compliance with human rights norms, including the principle of respect for human dignity and the general principles of reasonableness, proportionality and due process, and should be equally applied to those living in homeless encampments,” Mr. Dempster added.

The people of Fendall have suffered too long, he said, and there is no better time than now to resettle them in one peace.

Mr. Dempster claimed that the right to adequate housing is a basic human right of the people should be protected by law against unfair eviction from their homes or land.

Some time ago, the Liberia Land Authority engaged the Fendell Estates and Land Working Committee and the University of Liberia to negotiate on the following action point for immediate consideration by the government

They recommended that  the government is unable to make such compensation of 16, 610, 783 United States Dollars based on its current financial position, rather they are willing to pay the negotiated amount of 8,000,000 United States Dollars but in two installments starting most like with an initial payment of 50% up front to the affected residents of Fendell

The LLA and the Fendell working committee also resolved that the area bordered GREEN, containing 607.995 acres, be set aside by the government for resettlement of residents of the five demolished villages.

The five villages at the time of the demolition consisted of 2, 107 family heads; and that said new settlement be given deed in the name of the new community to be built;

Accordingly, the government and victims’ representatives agreed that the 5,800 acres deed be cancelled, nullified and a new deed be issued to the University of Liberia for the remaining land area.

Both parties also agreed that the government conduct no further demolition of villages and structures in areas enumerated under the recommendation and that any and all final understanding and agreements reached between the government and the Fendell Estates and Land Working Committee be put into written Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) dealing the full and extent of all conclusions between the two parties and signed.

The government and victims should develop a memorandum of understanding to be signed between the Liberian government and the Fendall Estates and Land Working Committee and attested by the Ministries of Finance and Justice.

The parties want a symbolic announcement of restoring the respect and dignity of the Fendall victims be made by President George Weah to signify government’s responsibility, care, sympathy, and respect for their human rights of citizens that were dehumanized.