{"id":66063,"date":"2024-10-17T15:04:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T15:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/sinoe-superintendent-supports-shady-oil-palm-operations"},"modified":"2024-10-17T15:04:00","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T15:04:00","slug":"sinoe-superintendent-supports-shady-oil-palm-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/sinoe-superintendent-supports-shady-oil-palm-operations","title":{"rendered":"Sinoe Superintendent Supports Shady Oil Palm Operations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Liberia. <\/strong><\/span>Sinoe County\u2019s Superintendent Peter Wleh Nyensuah is backing an oil palm company\u2019s illegitimate operations against a local community demanding its rights and holding the firm accountable.<\/p>\n

In 2022, Liberia Natural Produce Incorporated (LNPI) purchased a palm plantation in the Tarsue Chiefdom of Sanquin District from Equatorial Palm Oil (EPO). However, LNPI operates the plantation without the Liberian government\u2019s approval, sparking a protest.<\/p>\n

In a letter last month, seen by The DayLight, Nyensuah urged Tarsue to sign an MoU LNPI proposes, dismissing the community\u2019s concerns over rights abuses and the LNPI\u2019s illegitimacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is my strongest anticipation that you will work with the investors in our communities,\u201d wrote Nyensuah. He even suggested he was open to playing a role in negotiating the MoU or drafting a new one.<\/p>\n

Nyensuah had launched an investigation after tension brewed in the area following the community\u2019s complaint.<\/p>\n

He based his decision partly on a previous MoU that locals had signed with LNPI. \u201cThe Tarsue community having received benefits under the now expired MoU from LNPI, the community lacks the standing to question the legitimacy of the LNPI,\u201d Nyensuah added.<\/p>\n

But his reason for his decision is faulty. The document he referenced only gave LNPI an exclusive right to purchase oil from local producers, not to operate the plantation. A DayLight investigation established that LNPI likely used the document to gain control of the plantation during last year\u2019s heated presidential elections.<\/p>\n

In his finding, Nyensuah claimed that the government and LNPI amended the 2008 EPO concession agreement in March. However, there is no public record to support that claim.<\/p>\n

The government and LNPI have said the company\u2019s operations have not been authorized. The Ministries of Agriculture and Justice, responsible for authorizing oil palm concessions, said it was unaware of LNPI\u2019s operations. LNPI itself admitted that in a June interview with this newspaper, a fact it included in the draft MoU to Tarsue.<\/p>\n

\u2018Bogus MoU\u2019<\/p>\n

Nyensuah\u2019s unlawful decision has inflamed the situation in Tarsue and may have soured his relationship with the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are rejecting the MoU because it is a bogus agreement. We want to see LNPI\u2019s Concession Agreement with the government,\u201d said Ericson Pyne, a youth leader. We want to see their letter of authorization.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Superintendent Nyensuah is not capable of leading this county because, as a leader of the county, before coming up with such a proposal, you must have properly read and understood previous agreements. We totally disagree with his suggestion,\u201d added Pyne.<\/p>\n

Pyne\u2019s comments reflect the views of the people of Tarsue who have endured threats and intimidations at the hands of LNPI, with armed police forcing people out of the plantation.<\/p>\n

The DayLight investigation revealed that LNPI violates the Land Rights Act and the principles of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), which writes rules for the oil palm industry worldwide.<\/p>\n

The law and the RSPO rules recognize ancestral landownership and communities\u2019 right to consent to projects intended for traditional territories.<\/p>\n

Nyensuah did not respond to The DayLight\u2019s queries for comments on the matter.<\/p>\n

This story first appeared in The DayLight. It has been republished here as part of an editorial collaboration.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Liberia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Liberia. Sinoe County\u2019s Superintendent Peter Wleh Nyensuah is backing an oil palm company\u2019s illegitimate operations against a local community demanding its rights and holding the firm accountable. In 2022, Liberia Natural Produce Incorporated (LNPI) purchased a palm plantation in the Tarsue Chiefdom of Sanquin District from Equatorial Palm Oil (EPO). However, LNPI operates […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":66062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[233,237,234],"class_list":["post-66063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-liberia","tag-liberia"],"yoast_head":"\nSinoe Superintendent Supports Shady Oil Palm Operations - Liberia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/sinoe-superintendent-supports-shady-oil-palm-operations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sinoe Superintendent Supports Shady Oil Palm Operations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Liberia. Sinoe County\u2019s Superintendent Peter Wleh Nyensuah is backing an oil palm company\u2019s illegitimate operations against a local community demanding its rights and holding the firm accountable. In 2022, Liberia Natural Produce Incorporated (LNPI) purchased a palm plantation in the Tarsue Chiefdom of Sanquin District from Equatorial Palm Oil (EPO). 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