(Ecofin Agency) - During a press conference held at the end of a mission in Sierra Leone, UN expert, Baskut Tuncak, denounced fragile protection of land rights of indigenous populations against multinationals. Amongst the latter, Luxembourg firm Socfin, which has palm oil plantations.

Recalling the numerous accusations of land grabs against Socfin, the expert told AFP that “the government of Sierra Leone should give more attention to issues recorded in the mining, craftsmanship and industrial sectors”. He also expressed “great concern regarding the difficult access of individuals and communities to courts in order to defend their rights and get compensation”.

Tuncak recommended “more transparency in agreements signed between authorities and companies exploiting lands”.