Story, Louvier Kindo Tombe
A new legal analysis presented in Yaoundé on September 29 has cast serious doubt on SOCAPALM’s legitimacy in Apouh, Littoral Region. Conducted by Green Development Advocate (GDA), the report uncovers several irregularities in the oil palm company’s land occupation revealing that close to 1000 hectares are at stake.
At the heart of the controversy is a 2021 prefectoral order transferring 874 hectares of Apouh land to SOCAPALM. According to GDA’s experts, the act was unlawful.
“It is not within the competence of a Senior Divisional Officer to sign a concession order for land exceeding 50 hectares. By law, only the President of the Republic can do that,” explained Alain Fabrice Mfoulou, jurist and political analyst at GDA.
The study also highlights startling inconsistencies in SOCAPALM’s land documents. Titles and concession papers issued between 1960 and 1963 bear the names of a village (Dahane) and a company—Société des Palmeraies de la Ferme Suisse (SPFS)—that only came into existence more than a decade later. The experts say this shows that much of SOCAPALM’s presence in Apouh rests on shaky paperwork.
On paper, most of SOCAPALM’s operations are tied to Dahane. But on the ground, it is Apouh that bears the brunt of the plantations and their impacts—from displacement to livelihood loss.
The analysis concludes that significant portions of SOCAPALM’s occupation in Apouh are not covered by any valid legal instrument.
Adding weight to these revelations, a report from the Ministry of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure (MINDCAF) contained in the study confirms that SOCAPALM has illegally extended its plantation by 707 hectares beyond its titled area.
This official acknowledgment reinforces claims that the company has consistently operated outside legal boundaries.
The report further underscores that the community of Apouh had cultivated much of the land long before SOCAPALM’s arrival. By stripping residents of their farmland without proper legal procedure, the company effectively violated their land rights.
For the women of Apouh, these revelations validate their years-long struggle.
“We have been fighting for our rights for a long time. This new information comforts us in the struggle to retrieve our farmland,” said Félicité Ngon Bissou, president of AFRISE, a women’s association in Edea.
Since 2009, the women have been deprived of their farms. Hopes that SOCAPALM would eventually leave were crushed in 2023 when the company launched a new replanting process.
Resistance was met with repression: the arrest of the village chief, intimidation by security forces, destruction of 6,000 banana suckers in January 2024, and even incidents of violence and sexual abuse are common.
“Our men are not with us, our elites are not with us, even our sons are mounted against us. But we will not stop until SOCAPALM liberates our land,” one woman declared.
The workshop that hosted the press conference brought together women from across Cameroon’s agro-industrial zones, offering them space to share testimonies and strategize collective action.
“We, the women, bear the burden when land is taken away. Today, the truth has been made clear—Apouh land is not SOCAPALM’s,” one participant declared.
Civil society groups present at the press conference argue that the Apouh case is not isolated.
“The cries in Apouh are the same in Campo, Nachtigal, Niété, Nkoteng, Mbonjo, Mbandjock, and Ntam. It’s time for the government to step in,” insisted Marie Noëlle Etonde of SYNAPARCAM.
For the organizers, the press conference and workshop was designed not just to reveal findings but to build a collective front.
“The idea was to give the women the opportunity to revisit their situations and rethink the way forward in terms of joint lobby efforts,” explained Nguena Mawamba Floriane Carrele of GDA.
The women closed the session with renewed resolve to remain resilient and united. Their message to SOCAPALM’s authorities was unequivocal:
“Release our land so we can farm, feed our families, and secure a future for our children.”
Read also: https://newsupfront.com/cameroon-socapalm-called-to-suspend-replanting-in-edea/
