Youth Actions for Development Foundation – YADEF
Housing Land & Property – HLP Program
Project Title: “Promoting Housing Land & Property (HLP) rights in communities affected by extension of Tiko Airport and construction of Limbe Deep Seaport Government Development Projects with the Case of Tiko , Limbe 2 & West Coast in Fako Division in the South West Region of Cameroon”
Field assessment at Tiko Airport Area – New Layout Likomba – 28th June 2023 by YADEF HLP Team
Background
Land is a critical aspect for protection, food, and livelihood including poverty alleviation for mankind. However, having full rights to control, to use and to transfer land is a huge development problem for third world countries and becomes even more complex in crisis affected countries and communities. According to an Indian international woman’s and small holder farmer’s rights advocate, Vandana Shiva, “in Africa poverty is greatly linked to the misappropriation of land and the biggest land grabbing is taking place now”. Following recent government development plans and actions in the South West Region of Cameroon, a lot of displacement is projected to happen in the nearest future specifically in Tiko, Limbe 2 & West Coast Sub-Divisions all in Fako Division of the South West region of Cameroon. This comes at a time when the government of Cameroon wants to extend the Tiko Airport and the construction of the Limbe Deep Seaport. These two development projects are projected to cover large surface area and the projections are that a lot of people already living around these neighbourhoods will be directly affect in one way of the other. For example, shelter, livelihoods, education will be affected including trauma and overall wellbeing of those to be affected. We even see very critical and serious effects for female headed households, persons living with disabilities and those who settled in these areas as their retirement homes.
In line with YADEF’s program of promoting and advancing housing land and property rights of vulnerable communities, we see an urgent need to for action so that due diligence and durable solutions can be applied in ensuring peaceful and mutual resolutions to the above mentioned probable outcomes and the realization of these government projects if that will be the case. As an organization which stands as the voice of the less-privileged, YADEF is interested in what will happen to the local people who own land, properties, and livelihoods, small businesses and also live in and around this areas if these projects are achieved. From an overview, the tendencies are that we might have a disaster as many households will be displaced, agriculture and livelihoods destroyed, education of children disrupted, just to name a few. But then, it is the responsibility of the government and every other partners to these projects to ensure due diligence and a satisfactory compensation including resettlement to all those who will be affected or already affected. If these options are not applied by the government and the people are forcefully sent away, then it will be a gross violation of the HLP rights of these people (for those with valid land and property documents).
Also, YADEF as part of its community development has as purpose of overseeing the issues related to land and the management of other natural resources in the South West Region of Cameroon including the gender aspect of it. Land dispute is major factor which can cause separation; escalate violence and physical confrontation if not handled sustainably and transparent. We also promote the rights of women and indigenous people while advocating and championing for the increase involvement of women in decision making processes over natural resources and other local development affairs. From land ownership, grabbing to inheritance, women face a lot of discriminations in Cameroon which needs urgent actions to address them. We also call on all women and girls and others who survivors or have are victims or have been victims of such discriminations not to keep the silence but to voice out and seek redress. It’s better to act thank to stay silent.
YADEF upon ensuring peaceful resolution of land and natural resource management potential conflicts decided to target Tiko Municipality for an HLP assessment because of the upcoming extension of the Tiko Airport by the government of Cameroon. In line with these extension hundreds of individuals, small businesses and families living around this area stand greater risk of losing their land (houses & farmlands) and properties. The following were some of the objectives, activities, key findings, observations and proposed recommendations of the HLP assessment at New Layout Likomba Tiko Airport area;
Objectives of the assessment
1. To have first hand information about the Tiko Airport extension from key community members ; Traditional Leaders, Quarter Heads and a sample of households
2. Identify some households to be affected by this Airport extension and get their opinion on the decision/plans of the government
3. To assess the estimated effect (positive & negative) to be caused by this Airport extension
4. To find out from the community about any communicated governments strategic resettlement and compensation plan for those to be affected
5. To have an understanding of the Tiko Airport development project and develop a Strategic Advocacy Plan (SAP) including mobilizing, engaging and building the capacity of the community on their HLP rights
6. To use the key findings as a tool to lobby for resources or collaboration to support households and families to be affected
Key activities
• Visit to the Tiko Municipal Council
Firstly the field workers visited the Mayor to issue a notification letter for the assessment. However, due to the public holiday of the Eid al-Adha for Moslems, the Council was not able to attend to the field assessment officers. As, the workers moved straight way to the Quarter Head’s Palace for notification and discussions
• Visit the Chie/Quarter head Palace and discussions
The team was warmly welcome by the Quarter Head of Quarter 10 Likomba New Layout Tiko by name Pa Koffi Daniel. He was very happy for such an initiative showing concern for the rights and plights of the community over their land and or resources and properties. Following discussion with the Quarter head, we were made to understand that there was a meeting (which he attended) some time ago with the Division Officer (DO) of Tiko concerning the extension of the Tiko Airport. Actually according to the Quarter head the DO did not give any complete information concerning the issue but communicated that soon the entire area will be fenced. Also, according to the Quarter head, the DO mentioned somehow that those whose houses, land and properties with land valid titles will fall within the fenced area ‘might be compensated’.
The Quarter Head also provided the field team with a map extract of the Tiko Airport mentioning other settlers on the area about 40 years ago. He also reiterated that due to the expectations and rumors that they are living within the area to be fenced which are already marked out will be asked to go away with doubtful compensation for those to be affected. For example, he mentioned the case of one man who is died just few days and currently at the Mortuary due to emotional imbalance, trauma, depression etc. of losing all hs life fortune. Others he also mentioned are going through a lot trauma and psychological disruptions regarding the possibilities of negative expected outcomes if the government the area is taken away from them by the government.
The Quarter head also went further to show the field team the sign board and some pillars which has been implanted by the Ministry of State Property, Survey and Land Tenure. He also recommended other individuals (first settlers in the area) who have first hand knowledge about the said land area or community. In auditioned, he expressed worries and concerns about their future because his own compound too was marked out while he was out of the country. He further mentioned that most of those with homes in this area are retired people and will not even be able to reconstruct in other areas even if compensation in the form of cash is given to them.
• Identification and discussion with of other key affected households
The team continued their assessment by visiting another affected household by name Pa Watson Charles Ngata (who happens to be living with a disability – visually impaired).
According to information from the Quarter head, Pa Watson is one of the Pioneer settlers in New Layout Likomba Tiko. Being visually impaired, he was very bitter about the whole issues especially as pillars were implanted just about three (3) days ago (before our visit) just a step to his compound. According information from Pa Ngata himself, he is amongst the early settlers around 1978 in the area. He noted that, the government through the SDO in Limbe years back and other land management or tenure authorities issued to them all their related land documents. For Pa Ngata’s own case his land documents got burnt at Mutengene while he was renting and even the copies with the Cameroon bank (now defunct) could not be found or recovered. He clearly mentioned the fact that ‘the government wants to destabilize them with no plans to resettlement’. Therefore, if no assistance is given to them like legal aid, they might lose everything to the Airport or the government. Having a household made up of more women and girls including his wife he does not have anywhere to go as well as others affected.
The team visited some other few houses or homes but the general observations were that it seems manjority of the people are ignorant of the whole issue and they do not even know what is happening. They are getting rumors up and down about houses to be demolished but no one is giving them any reliable information or way forward and even those who came to mark out houses did not provide any information – on the basis that they were working on instructions. All they could say was that they are doing their job.
Deeper insights from Pa Watson
This visually impaired old man was very much interested into getting his voice head as far as the potential demolishing of houses for the extension of the Tiko Airport is concern. He therefore saw our coming as an opportunity to send his message to advocates, activists and disability rights activists, the media and the world at large. According to Pa Watson, the government wants to frustrate them because they have no other place to go. According to Pa, when he bought his piece of land around 1970s, he requested the Airport boundary which he said was about 5M away from his land. He finally got his entire land document around 1978. He noted that the government gave that area or land for relocation to those who were affected the water disaster around 1967/1968 caused by the Ndongo River. The objective according to the government was to relocate those people and reduce risk, vulnerability posed by the River with high chances of floods. Therefore they also applied to buy land in this area (New Layout Likomba) and it was approved.
Later on, Pa noted a diagonal line was demarcated clearing showing the port boundary without any interference into their personal land. So, Pa is asking if it was that the DO at that time made an error which they want to correct now or how – he does not understand!
According to Pa Watson he is getting rumours that only those with valid land titles will be compensated. For his own case, all his land and other property documents got burnt at his renting residence back then and even the copies with the Cameroon Bank defunct around 1988 couldn’t be retained till date.
The government wants to destabilize them because they have been living in their current location for close to 42 years from about 1982/1983. Pa also mentioned that even their family house in Mutengene was recently destroyed by the Council because it was considered to fall within the street according the Communal Development Plan of the Council. “Therefore I am homeless” – homeless with disability and household made of women and girls. We even send some people to the Prime Minister but no reply. Pa thanked the team for coming to hear his opinion and only that made him happy that some people have concern for their plights. His final message was that “send this to all persons who can come and help us or else we shall all die if our houses are demolished without meaningful compensation”.
Field Observation
• Houses have already been marked out but communities and some of the households interviewed do not actually know what is happening and the implications. The code written on these houses are seen for example ‘TA 95’ – and we are suggesting this ‘TA’ might mean ‘Tiko Airport’ and in other cases the code and comment “ see Ministry of Housing & Urban Development Limbe”. So, the households do not know the meaning and implication so these codes.
• Also, based other on one on one discussions with a sample of some of the household heads and field observations, we might also have circumstances where some of those occupying land especially in the New Layout Likomba area did not use the right channels or the competent authorities. Implying that some residents who have settled in this area and are claiming to own land might not have bought the said land from the rightful channels and authorities.
• The New Layout Likomba area is currently a build-up area, inhabited by people with well contructed structures worth millions of Francs CFA. We were informed and equally noticed some houses were just constructed about 16-24 months ago. But then, we noticed from the areas we monitored that no house is currently under construction considering the state of affairs. This is because though the community has not been informed fully by the government, but from the meeting which was attended by the Quarter Head of New Layout Likomba organized by the DO of Tiko, and other actions which have been implemented like coding of houses, boundary pillrs etc. are sufficient signals that brings mixed feelings to any normal thinking or rational human being. However, many are those who hold the opinion that all houses which fall within the area already marked out by the government as the Tiko Airport will be destroyed if not now then anytime soon or in the nearest future. But then, one thing which is sure according to such persons is that if the Tiko Airport is to be extended, people must be displaced and now is the best time to start looking for a plan B to aviod frustrative tendencies.
No Name Status Location Tel Comments
01 Koffi Daniel Quarter Head and affected Quarter 10 Likomba New Layout 650332473
02 Pa Watson Charles Ngata House owner/affected Quarter 10 Likomba New Layout 679989294 Visually impaired
03 Mr Kamgo George House owner/affected Quarter 10 Likomba New Layout N/A
04 Mr Nigo Inhabitant/tenant Quarter 10 Likomba New Layout 677942850
Sample Identified Affected Population
Challenge
Heavy rainfall and poor weather conditions during the assessment limited the number of households to be interviewd
Limited resources to support the assessment
Recommendation
The following are some of the proposed recommendations from YADEF HLP field assessment team. These include;
Urgent advocacy, sensitization and information sharing on HLP rights of women and rural communities
Visit to the Mayor of Tiko Munipality, the Divisional Officer for Tiko and the Senior Divisional Officer (SDO) for Fako and to some extend the Governor of the South West Region. These stakeholders will have a deeper insight on some of the government strategic plans and actions regarding the Airport extension and those to be affected
Legal support to the community and households to be affected – helping those households with valid and authentic land and property documents get meaning compensation and or possible resettlement to another site
Comprehensive assessment is needed to have first hand data on total number of households to be affected and the specific effects for each household
Media documentary and publication – media houses should also conduct assessments on this issue and write reports
Prepared by;
Lovert Ebong lovert.ebong@yadef.org
Njumbe Desire njumbedesire@yadef.org
Anna Nkumbe anna.nkumbe@yadef.org
Jojoe Eseh jojoe.eseh@yadef.org
For any information kindly contact YADEF Secretariat via info@yadef.org putting in copy yadef.foundation@hotmail.com
