Sierra Leone News

  Land cleared for a palm oil plantation is seen in Malen chiefdom in Pujehun district in southern Sierra Leone October 27, 2011. FREETOWN, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's parliament on Monday passed two laws that lawyers say will help boost the rights of rural landowners and women against land grabs by big mining and agribusiness firms. The West African country has a history of sometimes deadly conflict between local communities and foreign companies that have cleared huge tracts of land for palm oil and sugarcane plantations in recent years. Locals have complained of environmental damage, losing their livelihoods and not being fairly compensated for their land. Under the current system, landowners get an annual rent of $2.5 per acre, which was determined by the state.  The Customary Land Rights Act and the Land Commission Act, both enacted on Monday, empower local landowners to negotiate the value of their land with investors and prevent it being leased out without their ex...

  Last Friday, the government of Sierra Leone signed a deal with the Turkish government to strengthen Sierra Leone’s military capability. The agreement was signed by Sierra Leone’s Minister of Defense, Brig. Gen (Rtd) Hassan Kellie Conteh and the Turkish Minister of National Defense, Hulusi Akar.   (Photo above: President Bio and the Turkish President Erdogan in December 2021). According to a press statement from the Sierra Leone Embassy in Turkey, “The purpose of the Agreement is to provide a framework for developing and furthering cooperation and relations between the two countries’ military and defense related matters, with particular reference to the fields specified in the Agreement and in other fields that may be agreed upon by the two countries national legislation, regulations and international obligations. The Agreement also cover the training of Sierra Leone personnel, provision of material, equipment, information and experience.” Brig. Gen. (Rtd) Hassan Kellie Conte...